SBW
by Lust And Luxury
Summary: Edited & Betaed. “Feel the purity of the Earth” she whispered. “Learn how to capture the soul of the elements, talk to them. To you, they will come, they will share their strength. But never forget a helping hand never comes without payment.”
1. A New Weapon

**I do not own J.K.Rowlings idea of Harry Potter story and/or background.**

**A New Weapon**

Stepping out of this chamber, Dumbledore tried to reconcile the last year's event. Harry had met with Voldemort for the first time, much sooner than he expected. Actually, he had secretly hoped that this day would never come. Unfortunately, there was no denying left. Walking down the stairs that leads to his desk, with his long robes trailing lazily, he forced himself to think of the best solution at hand. The boy had shown courage above anything else, but it would certainly not prove enough if the most dangerous wizard of this time was to appear in full flesh. He had to think of something and fast.

Sorting through his library, he pulled out a smooth covered book that served as a diary. Without taking the time to sit, he opened it, searching for any helpful ideas. As he turned the page, his eyes dropped on a name he had long heard of. As if Lady Luck had blessed him on that rainy night, he re-read the name and sparkles of lights appeared in his eyes. That could prove to be exactly what he was looking for. Without wasting anymore minutes, he stepped closer to his desk, searching for a parchment and quills. At that moment, a thin quill shaped in a feather fell from the book. It brought a smile on the old wizard face as memories flooded his mind. Indeed, his luck was at work tonight.

Allowing himself to sat down; he plunged the tip of the feather into his ink pot and started writing. He had only used this artifact twice in his life, both in extreme situations. The magical power imbued in that quill allowed the writer to make an imprint of his emotions while composing; therefore, the reader was able to seize the importance of the matter.

Somehow, he knew that his life was coming to an end, sooner than later. With a fair amount of luck and a great deal of cleverness, he might last four or five years more at most. Calling forth those with greater power was a necessity. Just the same, he couldn't afford to have this letter falling in wrong hands. Fortunately, he knew of many ways to ensure the success of this dangerous missive. Without letting his writing distracting him, he mentally summoned the only person that would be up to the task of sending this letter out.

As he finished his letter, he heard his guest arrive. The Headmaster folded the letter swiftly put away his quill.

"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?"

"Yes, Severus. Please sit down." Although his voice still held much authority and strength, he could not hide that little vibration which told of his long life experience.

The dark robed man walked through the office, took the chair in front of Dumbledore, and waited.

"What I am about to ask of you is of the utmost importance. Understand that I cannot let anyone else know about this, not even Minerva. It is not a matter of trust, far from that. We both know the implication of dealing with the Dark Arts." He paused, letting the news sink in.

"See here, the letter in front of you, no other than its intended receiver must read it. It will bring forth disaster if someone else gets hold of it. It is possible that Voldemort will return; and I am using one of the last resorts against it. I am confident that this should help you when the time comes."

Suddenly, Dumbledore's mind seemed to lose itself in some countryside far away and his eyes were now glittering as tears built up in them.

"Headmaster?" Snape inquired.

Dumbledore turned his attention back to his visitor and nodded slightly.

"Please forgive an old man's memory. Time goes by so quickly, does it not Severus? None the less, we still need to buy some more if we want to win a war that might be declared." On those words, the Headmaster stood up and walked all the way in the back of his office to retrieve an object.

Snape was a bit curious, he knew of the many assets in this place. Some were utterly evil and some very pure. As for the object in Dumbledore's hand, nothing special could be sense from it. However, the old man was holding it with his hand wrapped in a delicate and glowing handkerchief to protect him from the evil waves that were probably hidden inside it.

"This, Severus, is a Communium, the very link between the owner of this letter and us. As you might have understood, there will not be any owl involved in this matter. Only few artifacts like this one exist, and you can be sure that they are rarely used. The main utility is to send direct messages between two living beings. However, in order to link it properly, as you might have guessed, the use of the ancient bloodmagic rituals is required."

Dumbledore was quiet for a moment. He was asking his faithful colleague to reach out to the Dark Arts again. It had been part of their 'contract' when Snape had come to him after the defeat of his last master. The young man was accepted because of his abilities in handling various type of magic, especially the dark one. Not that the Headmaster favored it, but it did serve its purpose in tidy situations in the past.

It did not make the teacher flinch one bit. He was used to this kind of request.

"I understand perfectly. Do you happen to possess the blood required?"

"As a matter of fact, I do" He barely opened his robe and a violent flash of red was spreading out from his chest. "Do not fear. It only serves as a protection for the bearer. This light is produced by a strong ward, which helps to avoid the corruption of my blood."

The Potions master remembered hearing about this during his earlier studies. "I have heard that with only a small amount, some blood is powerful enough to take over another's soul and body. Nonetheless, I never saw it with my own eyes; I always assumed that such blood was kept deeply hidden."

His face was not showing much surprise, but there was a greedy need building inside him as he watched the small vial.

"Did you feel any of its power until I opened my robes? Most dangerous things are often right under our noses, which is probably the safest place to hide them. It is always good to know where danger is hiding or hidden. My request is for you to complete the blood pact in order to deliver this letter to its rightful owner. I had the complete explanation of the ceremony sent to your room. This needs completion tonight, as we cannot wait much longer. I am leaving this in your capable hands." He took the vial off his robes; the glowing had decreased, but the power had not.

"Hold on to this as if you were holding on to your very life, Severus. I know that you will not be using it totally, and I want you to keep the rest. I am making you the new bearer of the vial of Elem. Do not worry about your meetings with evil-minded beings or about any other time when you may find yourself in a tight situation. This vial will simply protect itself. The only moment when someone else will see it is if you offer it freely. When the time comes, the vial will glow just as it did tonight, and be attentive to its color. If it turns black, break it and the blood will simply evaporate and return to Elem. The consequences will be dire if you act differently."

He gave the vial to Snape who felt the power engulf him for a brief moment, and then everything went back to normal. The young man opened his mouth to ask about the meaning of Elem, wondering where or what it was, but as if the old man read his mind and did not want to talk about that subject, he was cut short.

"And now I will ask you to leave, unless you have any critical matters to discuss."

The teacher only eyed the Headmaster and chose to remain silent. Both were aware of what just happened.

"Good night, Headmaster." He turned and left the office, as swiftly as he entered it.

Dumbledore watched the man leave his office and kept his gaze fixed on the entrance, letting his mind wander once again into his past. He sighed silently and gave two swift nods with his wand. The eavesdropping wards were now gone. He needed rest.

It was always dark in here. The few candles only brought enough heat and light to allow keen eyes to see properly. This had been one of his principal hideouts after the first disaster that had befallen Voldemort. Severus took off one layer of robe and let it fall down lazily, his mind lost in too many thoughts to care. His clothes never made it to the ground as a house-elf hurried to his side and took care of it. If he were going to stay awake and concentrate, he would need a strong focus potion. He felt drained out.

The second year with that infernal trio had begun only five weeks ago, and he wanted it to be over already. The students were more stupid than usual, if such thing was possible.

Snape let out a yawn and looked at the time. It was already half past ten and he had a class to attend at eight. He knew well that his task would require at least five hours from him. He walked through a door on his left to get to his private laboratory.

"Limpy! Get me the package that you brought upon Dumbledore's request, and be quick about it." Once the elf brought him what he needed, he discarded it and warded his lab with powerful protection. No one would know what happened behind this door.

Finally, the class ended. They hurried out of the classroom, with a pile of new homework.

A voice from behind Ron made him jump.

"Hey! Draco! Are you ready for this afternoon? Which subject got your attention?"

Meryl, a Slytherin girl, was addressing Malfoy. They had to do a presentation, explaining the use and the provenance of one potion of their choice.

Malfoy simply glared at the girl and decided to ignore her.

As the trio slowly made their way to the Great Hall, Ron kept to himself, the words of Meryl still ringing in his hears. He had thought about this presentation and wished that his plan would work. It was very simple. The plan was based on a wishful thinking that the teacher would give an extra week of preparation.

"This is okay Ron, you will do great. I mean, I did choose your subject and I even did the research."

"Yeah! Thanks, Hermione. I guess I should take some time to read it at least…"

"What? Don't tell me you haven't done it yet? How do you expect to pass the O.W.L.s with such poor involvement in your schoolwork, Ron? Do not throw me that look. It's is not too early to think of them. How can you have any hope, when you cannot concentrate on a simple piece of second-year homework?"

Ron did not feel proud, but after his first year of Potions, he now possessed enough memories to hate that subject, or more precisely, its teacher. The thought of Professor Snape brought shivers all over his body and his mind started to fight against this intrusion.

He sighed. Damn, he was not ready at all.

The doors flew open, banging on the walls as he entered the room. Every student moved their things aside and got prepared at once, quill at the ready. The teacher made his way up to his desk and turned in his usual dramatic way. Harry rolled his eyes but was able to suppress a sigh. Ron, on the other hand, was not that lucky.

"Misssster Weasley, you seem ready to open the ball with your presentation. We will hear you now. Come here, now."

Ron's face went even paler than normal. He was not ready at all, so much for the plan. He could hardly swallow, and he realized that his hands were sweaty. _Damn. Why do I have to be the first? _He stood up; his hands were shaking and made his papers rustle noisily. He risked a stare at Professor Snape and was rewarded with a displeased glare and an imperative hand movement, silently urging him to get up on 'stage'.

Breathing deeply, he turned to face his classmates and comforted himself with the fact that, no matter how this went, they would not be a bit surprised. He was not renowned for his great capacity at speaking in front of a group. Therefore, he began…

"Huh! Today, I will try…to interest you in the subtle art of Potions." The entire Gryffindor section went bursting out in laughter. Ron thought it might not go so bad after all. Until the low baritone voice of the teacher spoke.

"Ten points from Gryffindor. Of all the students in the entire school, you are probably the one that should not act smart during a presentation, which, unless you forgot, will be accounted in the final evaluation of this year. You may resume."

Ron's throat went dry as his nervousness slowly crept back. _Stupid old bat!_ Fortunately enough he received Hermione's help. He knew he would get some positive review, at least for the choice of the subject.

"Ahem! So, as I was saying, my expose will be about a potion which brings forth and measures the magic potential in human beings." There was a low rumbling at this announcement. Even the teacher stirred up a bit, wondering how Weasley could have thought of that type of subject. This is obviously the work of another, he thought, probably Miss Granger. He sneered at this discovery, which made Ron jump on his words. _Good. Weasley will learn to do his own work or I will personally ask for his expulsion from Hogwarts. Good riddance! _

"Its creation is based on a simple but powerful ingredient and it also requires a fair amount of knowledge in the lore of magic in order to brew it. The potion's name is Explici Magi."

The sweat was forming on his forehead and his palms were rendering his paper with more and more moisture. He realized that he should have looked at this paper a bit more. To make matters worse, the look on Professor Snape's face was one of pure delight…probably because he knew how unprepared he was.

"This has been discovered more than ten thousands years, by wizards of course. However, back then, the idea of such potion has been discarded and put to the shelves mainly because of the lack of magical beings remaining. Most of the wizards were powerful enough to manage without its use. On the other hand, today's researches aren't going into that direction due to the lack of knowledge of ancient potion making. There is also the constant struggle to keep the secrecy towards Muggles, and the fact that most of the ingredients will force a Potions master to get involved with dangerous quests of finder's keepers. Ron tried to avoid the teacher's glare. _Maybe Snape had tried to brew this potion and simply messed it up_. That thought made him chuckle, but he quickly got back to the subject at hand.

He looked down at his paper, and as he found what to say next, he gasped. _Is she mental?_ What is wrong with Hermione? He could never say that with a class filled by Slytherins! He looked back at the entire classroom just to face many confused glances. Only Hermione was smiling with genuine excitement in her eyes. _She could have told me… no, actually, she should have!_

"Erm… so as I was saying…ahem. This is a very powerful potion because it would help bring down the wall between…well, between Muggles and us."

All the whispers started at once. Many Slytherins were gaping widely. Draco was the one to express his disdain loudly.

"That's why nobody cares about this potion, it's useless, you dimwit. Nobody gives a da…a second thought about Mud…about Muggles. Sure, we do have some that show powers, and we are good enough to accept them in our world, but to go and fetch all? Get real."

Snape stirred on his chair, but did not say anything. He could obviously have taken points from his own House, but everybody knew that it would not happen for so little.

"Well, actually, I do care." Ron was even startled by his own reaction. He now understood the choice of Hermione. _However, she should have kept the subject and present it herself?_ That would have been much more brilliant and probably more believable.

"Mister Weasley. Are we to keep on staring at you or are you going to give us a reason to actually be interested in your subject, which, as of yet, hasn't been clearly explained?"

The red came back on his face. He gave a look at his paper, trying to find what to say next.

"In our modern days, this kind of discovery would be exactly the push needed for the evolution of magic. Just imagine, being able to discover the magic power just by sipping down a potion! Right now, we have to rely on the power of strong wizards in order to feel the abilities in someone else. As we already know, few are volunteering to the idea. However, once completed, this potion would be put on sale in our world, with the precise intention of giving it out to Muggles and bring forth more wizards to our community. Some will say that the dark side could rise just as much, but with the disappearance of He Who Must Not Be Named, that matter isn't so worrisome. Nevertheless, what we still need is to find very powerful wizards to brew this potion. Let's take a look at the ingredients first.

"In order to create a magical potion imbued with so much power, we need ingredients that possess strong magical force and meaning. By that, I am talking of the Old Roots. They possess strong magic inside, but as one might have guessed, they also are surrounded by a constant aura of protection. As if this wasn't enough, they grow in dangerous restricted areas, such as in the deepness of the Pyramids of Egypt, or large swamps in East Asia. The search will require a lot of time, equipment, and knowledge. Even in the Muggle history, there is a place for the Old Roots in many legends, though they call it Roots of Eternity or Mother Roots. They bear a deep significance of Pure Healing of both, body and mind.

"We use it today in very small quantities to product healing draught, growing bones potions, instant vitality, et cetera. However, in order to produce the Explici Magi, we need a large quantity of them. We can find those Roots in Africa and Asia."

Ron lifted his head. Only Hermione was still eagerly listening. Other students, including Harry, were shifting in their chair, trying to keep awake. That made him sigh. _Well, at least, they are not making more noise than I am_. He decided to hurry up and simply jumped at the conclusion, discreetly passing some pages. Without reading it beforehand, he went on, and missed the hurried wand movement directed to his copies.

"In conclusion, it is my most important goal to bring forth this potion and prove to the entire magic world that such potion can be used for good. I will brave all the obstacles…and…I…what?" He threw an alarmed glance at Hermione who was also gaping in shock. _Oh no!_

"Mister Weasley, this is my last intervention. Finish up, or I will refuse to review your presentation."

"Y…yes Professor Snape. I was saying that this is my final year goal to make this a reality. By the end of my scholarship, before becoming an apprentice, the Explici Magi will be available for testing. Thank you for listening." He barely pronounced these last words and went back to his seat, his face turning into a green that matched the Slytherin outfit.

Professor Snape smirked coldly. This helped to relieve his stress. That night had been long and demanding.

"RON! RON! Stop!" It was Harry, trying to reach out to his friend. Hermione was too shocked to cry out to him. Instead, her mind was racing like crazy, trying to figure out what might have happened.

_Oh, Merlin, please be merciful, what has he been thinking_? She knew that none of the last declaration had been from her initiative. She was also certain that Ron would not come up with such ideas, especially in his situation. He did manage all right with his schoolwork, but it was, of course, because she was constantly helping him out. So why did he have to come up with this idea? Unless…but no, that sounded absurd. Who would use such a strong curse in front of a teacher? Even Malfoy was not that nuts. Ron did not seem like another person, he simply was a bit confused to hear those words coming out of his mouth. He was reciting, that is for sure, but not like a perfect robot.

"RON! JUST…"—Harry figured he was shouting a bit too much, so he lowered his voice a bit—"…listen to me."

"Forget about that, Harry. You know just like me that I am in deep trouble and the hell with Hermione and her brilliant ideas. What did I do to her anyway? I mean…I…well. I do admit that I have been taking her help for granted from time to time…but. Well, this time there is no way that I am making it out without her."

"Calm down! Even Snape cannot be such a jerk. He will understand that you simply felt like showing off to the class. You go and ask him to forget about your last statement. He will probably give you detention or something, but that should be okay." Harry didn't know what to do; even pleading to Snape seemed like a possibility.

"Haven't you seen his expression, Harry?" Hermione had finally reached them both. "There is no way that Ron will get out of this one. As for your accusation, Ron, you should think about facts before going off like that. You should have read your stuff beforehand and then you would have realized that I never wrote down such a thing. Someone just succeeded in making a fool out of you." On this, she turned away and climbed the stairs to her dormitory, her face red from anger.

Ron sighed. "Now I've done it." His face was showing his guilt towards her again.

"It's okay Ron. You know Hermione… she won't stay in this mood for too long."

"Yeah, well. I'm not hungry, so you go to the Hall without me." He would try to talk with Hermione later. He was now feeling sorry for what he had said to her before. She has always been a helpful friend, just like Harry. Being alone would give him time to find a way out of this situation. The thought of groveling in front of Snape made him very sick. However, what else could he do?

Severus was making his way to the Headmaster's office. He had to report the success of last night and see if there was anything else he could be of help with. Again, he spoke the unnerving password and stepped in the doorway. Spinning around, he finally arrived at the entrance and was greeted before getting a chance to announce himself.

"By the look on your face, I take that your actions were to your liking? How difficult was it? Did you go through any trouble whatsoever?"

"Not at all, Headmaster. It was only time-consuming." He was definitely tired… "It was nothing compared to what I have felt during the many rituals that I performed in the presence of the Dark Lord. May I inquire on how you found yourself in its possession?"

"This… was a gift bestowed upon me when I was much younger. It is such a long story that I do not feel to share now. You may leave; I do not have anything else to ask of you at the moment."

"Headmaster." Snape said, politely and made his salutation and turned to leave, when Dumbledore's voice made him look back again.

"Severus. I must insist; you have to be careful with your recent gift. There are things, which our nature desperately clings on. I won't hide from you that I am concerned, please be wary, just in case."

There was no reply to give to that. The teacher simply nodded and left the office.

Walking quickly, eager to get back to his dungeon, his mind drifted to the event of the afternoon. What would he do with that Weasley boy? If the boy was foolish enough to try brewing this potion, it would be far from being his problem. He only wondered how long it would take until he came to plead, to have to listen to all the excuses and finally, to get the opportunity to trap the boy and make him understand his inevitable situation of failure. The thought made him smile in his own sarcastic way, as he finally reached his compound.

Again, the darkness was overwhelming. Limpy was waiting for any instructions, but she had already prepared the meal. He totally ignored it. Instead, he went straight to his bedroom and sat heavily on his bed. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply three times. This was the method he had used diligently since he had learned the meaning of being a part of Voldemort's circle. To empty one's mind before going to bed, or at all time for that matter, was a way to ensure control and to avoid any sleep-talking issues, which would've been unforgivable.

He took off his clothes and lay slowly on his back, his eyes still shut. Soon he would welcome what he hoped would be a good, well deserved night sleep'.

However, it seemed that faith had a will of its own and instead of getting what he thought was rightfully his, his mind wandered…and he drifted into a world which was unknown to him.

"Ploc!"

"What is this noise?"

"Ploc!"

"Blood?"

"Ploc!"

"Wounded…someone is loosing blood, drip by drip."

Echoes of weeping could be heard from somewhere in the darkness.

"Who are you?"

Again, only the soft sound of sobs and somewhat, the smell of salt. Snape's mind was racing. Someone must be in danger; this was the smell of blood.

"Tell me; who are you?" his mind said, sounding more commanding. He realized the uselessness of using his mouth to communicate. He felt more than he heard the noises around.

It was then that he felt it, a voice, like a breath, very sensual with a touch of eeriness, very young and feminine.

"Help me...please…" Followed by a painful moan.

Snape could not find anything to say in return. It sounded as if the girl was in trouble, yet she kept herself hidden.

As if reading his mind, the voice spoke again, more voluptuous, young and soft. "I am…lost. Come closer, help me please."

The fact that he could not see anything at all annoyed him. "If you need help, stop hiding in the dark. Come out and show yourself. "

Silence.

She sounded like a child, probably no more than eight or ten years old. He was about to say something, when suddenly he felt it: a chill that made his body shiver, but his mind didn't wake up just yet…he was trapped.

"Take me… bring me with you… I'll…grant your wish in return."

He was barely listening; his concentration turned towards acknowledging what was surrounding him. He was now fighting against that thing in spirit, but Severus's mind was already exhausted and could not defend itself at the best of his capabilities. He had lied to Dumbledore. The process involving his message had been more demanding then he had let out. Slowly, he felt like being engulfed into a deep pitch-black hole. The tension was growing stronger, combining with the feeling of losing an important part of him.

A sudden exclamation broke the spell. Snape could only register her last word "Father" and then…

His eyes opened in a flash. It took him several minutes to adjust to his environment and his body reaction. One of his hands was placed on his chest and the other was lying next to him, clutched in a firm grip. Sweat was rolling down from his forehead all the way to his ears and his entire body was shivering from time to time. After a fashion, 'he also realized a reaction, which surprised him more and put him in some discomfort.

Of course, he was a man and knew of his body possible reactions. Nevertheless, a nightmare had brought him to such a high level of excitement; he was so hard that it actually hurt him. He forced himself to breath slowly and tried to sit up.

"Is Master all right?"

"Limpy? Why are you here, in my chamber?" Snape was in the foulest of moods and his sheet could hardly hide the hardness underneath.

The house-elf whimpered in fear, but did reply to him. "Master was screaming. Master was actually growling and grunting in his sleep. Limpy saw him grasp his sheet fiercely as if under an attacked of some sort, but Limpy couldn't wake up Master, no matter how she shook him"

"You…touched me? I didn't feel anything until I woke up."

"Limpy is so sorry. She will leave at once."

"Wait!" His voice was strong and unquestionable. The house-elf's ears went as low as they could and she was bracing herself to a blow that actually never came. Instead, she heard her Master talking.

"Tell me Limpy, what did you overhear? What was I screaming?"

Eager to help him, Limpy quickly related his exact words. By the end, Snape was concerned. He had lost his control and allowed some unknown forces to take over.

He forgot about the elf and decided to lie back on his bed, the sheet half covering his body. The cool air was soothing his mind and calming the heat down below. The voice might have belonged to a child, but the touch…it had been thorough. He clearly remembered the feeling of it. It was not anything close to being touched by human hands, but more like an infinite caress. His mind had shown resistance, but he could see that his body was telling him otherwise. There would be need for deeper investigation whenever he would have the time.

**End of Chapter 1**

**5123 words**


	2. Watery Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**  
**

**Watery Night**

Ron and Hermione were the only ones left in the library. It had been more than four hours now, and Ron was seriously getting sleepy and annoyed. Nevertheless, he forced himself to stay focused on what she was telling him. Hardly believing how she could still be so passionate about the subject, he decided to interrupt her in her rant.

"Look Hermione, I know you want to be sure that we will brew this potion, but I think you are forgetting something. We are in our second year at Hogwarts and there is still time until the end of my scholarship, which gives me another five years. We could come back later to look this up. Please?"

The stare he received clearly indicated her disapproval.

"Ron, try to remember that I am helping you right now. You know that I am doing this merely because I feel somewhat responsible. I was lucky enough to get an access to the Restricted Section for the second time this year. Who can tell when this will happen again? You know we normally should wait until our fifth year. Let us not waste the little time we have. Until now, nobody has ever completed this potion, so the information given might be inexact or misleading. I'm trying to find any hints that could help us." She sighed deeply and got back to the matter at hand.

"Good. Here it is. It gives specific details about the ingredients and their locations. We already know the four different places where we should be able to find them. Now if I could just find the countries' names. Still, even if I find what we are looking for, there is the problem of who will get those for us. I could ask my parents, but…what about you?"

As a response, Ron lifted his shoulders. "Well, maybe mine could do it. I mean, they can use the Apparatus spell and they have magical protection in case something bad happens. The only thing is I will have to let them know about my mistake. Mum's going to kill me"

"Look Ron, this might be our only chance. Just focus your mind on Professor Snape's face when you will present him with the potion. That alone, will make up for any hard labor endured during this long process."

She had hit the spot. His laughter echoed in the library but stopped abruptly by Madame Pince's killing glare.

Lowering his voice, he got closer to Hermione. "Yeah, you're right. I will let my parents know. Thank you Hermione, I…I am sorry about what I said to you that day. I know you would never put me in such trouble. You're always here to help me out and all…"

Patting him on the arm, she simply smiled at him. Ron's face went red. _God she is cute when she does that… with her eyes glittering like this. _He felt a wave of heat getting to him, something that he was not at all comfortable with yet. It must have shown, because Hermione suddenly shifted in her chair and quickly stuck her nose back in the book. _Damn_. Why did he have to blush like that? Last year, he had not been able to think of her without having a headache. She would come and talk about studies repeatedly. What was different? They were much closer friends now, especially after all that occurred in the end of their first year. She had shown deep concern towards him and that made him feel important, worthy of her attention. Regardless of that, it seemed so confusing to him.

"Ron? Are you listening to what I'm saying?"

His head straightened right up. "Euhm, sorry Hermione, it's just that I am getting sleepy."

"Bear with me just a bit longer. Here it says it all. The Old Root is located in these different places: Egypt, Himalaya, Japan and Austria."

Ron jumped at her words. "Wait a moment? Did you say Egypt? That is where my parents always wanted to go…we are planning this for next summer's vacation. That is if we can collect the…I mean… forget about that." He felt ashamed of his family situation, and bringing it out like that was not helping.

Hermione ignored his last statement on purpose to avoid embarrassing him further

"That's great Ron. So finding the root will be easier after all. Next, we need: grinded batwings, purified water, body samples of five powerful magical beings, _Veritaserum_, gold thorn for power restoration, a crystal vial to put the ingredients in, healing herbs, half of a phoenix feather and the final ingredients are…"

"What is it Hermione? What are they?"

She shook her head in bewilderment. What was the meaning of those?

"It says: a Tear of the Mother and the Wrath of the Father"

"That's it? Do not worry; I know my father will be mad enough when I tell him about this mess. As for my mom, well, I don't really want to make her cry, but if the need is there…"

"Ron, this won't be that simple. Mother and Father are both written with a capital letter, it must mean something more." He felt annoyance slowly getting the best of him.

It was time to plead. "I can't do any thinking anymore, I'm beat. At least we got what we were looking for. Let's find out more about all this another time."

"I understand, and it really is getting late. Just a second, I want to try something. Could you stand between me and Madam Pince?" As she spoke, she discreetly took her wand out and pointed it at the page. As softly as possible, she murmured the incantation. To Ron's surprise, the words were copying themselves on the parchment that lay next to her. "This is cool Hermione, where did you learn that one?"

"Well, you see, there is a limit of books that can be taken out of the library at the same time." Hermione blushed slightly when admitting once more how much of a bookworm she was.

"That was when I found out about this spell. Nevertheless, you cannot copy the entire book; it would take too much time and would be far too suspicious. I chose the chapters that we didn't have the time to cover."

Frowning one last time, she compared the text in book and to her parchment, and she stood up.

"Ok, it's done, we can go".

It had been four months since Snape had performed the ritual with the Communium, four months since Dumbledore entrusted him with the small vial and four months since he had been forced to drink dreamless potions mostly every night. Even with that striking evidence, his mind refused to acknowledge the starting point of all this.

When Dumbledore had thanked him once more about the service he had done, he simply nodded and said it had been nothing much. He was ready to admit to himself that he had been having trouble during certain nights, but he could not pinpoint the reason.

He was now walking down the hall, eyeing the students in his usual threatening manner, trying to focus on the problem at hand. However, the only answers he would come up with were associated with futilities such as the bad weather, the insolent students, the classes, the stupid Chamber of Secret being re-opened. Sometime, they seemed acceptable excuses and they would make him relax, but never for long.

His mind was telling him that there would be no need for dreamless draught. Oddly enough, that thought was easy to accept and put him back to his task. He took points from a young Ravenclaw girl who had been unfortunate enough to be passing by him.

The dungeon corridors were very dark, but it was not a problem for a man who had been wandering around this place for over ten years. Unfortunately, when one's mind was troubled, the mistakes were easier to make, and so he bumped into a staircase and found himself on his hands and knees, growling with pain and frustration. He shook his head quickly, which blinded him for a moment as his hair fell smoothly on his face. With an annoyed movement of hand, he pushed the lock away and made sure that nobody had witnessed his stupidity.

It was not like him at all, losing control and letting frustration get the better of him for so little. If this year ended, he would be a happy man. The matter with the Chamber came back to his mind; to think that Lockhart had been chosen to solve this mystery. As if it was not enough, Harry Potter had to be a Parselmouth. How could he have inherited that particular gift?

The only logical reason would be from the clash that happened between the Dark Lord and him when he was a baby, which also proved that Voldemort was a direct heir of Slytherin. The thought left a bitter taste in Snape's mouth; was it envy?

Snape closed his eyes, remembering the low hissing of his last Master, and he wanted to learn and communicate with it He did not really like snakes all that much, but to be able to share a similar trait with the great Salazar was simply a matter of pride.

As he came back to the present time, he was surprised to be standing in front of his private apartments. He stepped in, undoing and redoing the many wards and started undressing. As usual, there was his dinner ready for him. The wine looked tempting to his eyes but his stomach told him otherwise. He had not been feeling healthy lately, probably from over usage of that dreamless potion. _Good thing you will not need any tonight,_ said his mind satisfyingly. He sighed, left the food untouched and went straight to his chamber. It was past two in the morning and his body and mind craved for some good rest.

Inhaling three times as deeply as possible, he slowly lay over his sheets, not taking time to cover himself. He always fell asleep with his eyes tightly shut, a frown on his forehead and both hands placed on his chest. No wonder he woke up with a headache mostly every morning.

**Watery Dream **

His eyes opened slowly but shut quickly as a ray of light flashed in front of him. He instinctively brought a hand up to shade his eyes. The smell of grass and flowers was overwhelming. He bolted right up, looking around frantically.

_Where is this place?_ Snape focused his mind on waking up from this unwanted dream, but failed.

With a deep sight, he stood up completely and turned on himself, only to face an endless field stretching on every corner. He blinked, and when his view came back, the surroundings had changed. His legs were half-deep in a lake without borders.

He was about to shout something out but was interrupted by the sound of a heartbeat. Not only was it loud and clear, its resonance was palpable enough to strike at him as hard as a powerful blow, making him bend in two. Taking back his breath and blinking to keep the sudden tears that crept up, he looked around and saw to forms. Their faces were blurred, but their bodies told him that they were both kids, no older than ten years old. Their clothing was long and seemed heavy. The huge sleeves were endlessly falling on each side of their bodies. One was clothed in red while the other harbored the blue. Both of them were floating above the surface of the lake. Finally, one of them spoke.

"Why did you bring him here and who is he?" It was a young boy's voice not yet in transition, still holding its beautiful softness.

"I think that he can help us. He will do what he must." Snape froze. He recognized her voice, the one that belonged to the young girl from his latest dream. He felt a burst of relief at the recognition. He allowed himself to breathe more deeply.

"What if Father hears about this? You know what will happen don't you?" The boy was now slowly descending, putting his small naked feet into the lake. The wave went on vibrating forever, sending an enchanting sound and a tiny amount of vapor rose over the water from where he stood.

"He already knows. This man had been trapped during one of our Father's… power demonstrations." Snape could tell that her voice broke for a brief moment.

"Somehow, Father didn't notice this human's presence. I haven't heard anything from anyone after this incident." Her words were everything short to a whisper.

The boy did not seem convinced by her explanation. "Even if he is able to help us, how do you intend to make the use of him?"

She then moved downwards, following the boy. Strangely, there was no sound when she got in the water, as if she had already been in it or more like part of it.

"Actually, we will be the ones to give him a helping hand. Nevertheless, when the time comes, his honor will force him to pay us back. That is his way."

Getting closer and closer to the man standing, the boy suddenly stopped and turned to face the girl.

"I doubt your words, Dunia. You could be wrong about him. Honor is a rare thing for those of his kind, with a life so short and the greed ever so present. Their minds are weak and easily toyed with."

"We sometimes share the same weakness, Jua, you should always remember that." Dunia reached to the boy and put a frail snow-white hand on his sleeve. Her slender fingers were caressing the fabric, smoothing it in a fashion that closely resembled a mother's care towards her child.

Snape was getting furious, as he knew far too well that they were both talking, as if he was nothing more than a pawn in their little game. He would rectify this situation right now.

"I should ask what it is that you require of me. However, since I could not care less, I will simply ask you this. Who are you?"

Snape's low and threatening voice was not reflecting in the emptiness of this dimension. Nevertheless, it did serve its purpose, for both silhouettes turned to look at him. They remained in silence, clearly staring at him, even though their face features were unseen.

The young boy's hand slowly approached Severus. The girl screamed at that moment,

"No, Jua! Stop! Don't…"

Her words were cut off by a low but strong cry of pain coming from their captive. This time, his voice was reverberating all around. In his chamber, the teacher was clutching his left arm in one hand while the other was frantically searching for his wand. He was still fast asleep and his house-elf was not around to register the scene.

The heat was now spreading inside Snape's body consuming everything on its way. His eyes rolled, and he was convinced to die in the next moment. Then the loud heartbeat pounded again. It brought him back to consciousness.

He woke up, drenched.

With only one thought in his mind, Snape tore his garment apart still under the effect of adrenaline. The pain was gone, but his mind and body did not register that fact just yet. He was amazed to find his skin intact instead of severely burned.

He slowly strolled his fingers on his lips, his jaw firmly shut, eyes lost in thoughts and hair sliding on each side of his face. This time at least, the touch had not trigger any excitement. It was as if the boy had been a living torch. Never in the last twenty years had he allowed himself to scream out in pain, to let out his weakness for everyone else to see. He tried to remember, bringing his mind back to what was left of his memory. A sound made it stop. _What had it been? _His anger flared again.

He should have given more analysis to the situation, but again, he felt pushed back. Even though he was exhausted, he did not go back to sleep. Instead, he went straight to his laboratory and started to work on idle problems to help his mind focus on one thing only.

_Later that same night, a small figure appeared In Dumbledore's office. It had been sent as a reply to his request. Looking around, it decided to go straight into the private chambers and leave the response safely into the man's hands. Slowly, not wanting to wake him, the spirit wrapped the fingers around the note. Then it disappeared, leaving a trail of glittering stars. _

**End of Chapter 2/ 2815 words**


	3. Insanity of Power

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**  
**

**Insanity of Power**

With an approving smile, Dumbledore put the note on fire and allowed himself to loosen up for a moment. The reply had come sooner than expected, and it bore very good news.

As for the message, there would be two new students arriving next year. Their main purpose would be to get comfortable with Hogwarts environment and prepare to act when the time would come. Dumbledore knew that they would not be of much help, not until the end, but to have them close by was a sure way to have them ready.

There were no pictures with the note; it only said that two siblings would be assisting Hogwarts with the objective of digging all necessary information regarding their enemies and their allies. They also sent a short description of both:

_Sex: Female_

_Code Name: Kyo_

_Wizard Specialty: Unmatched with Water spells. Healings. Ancient witchcraft technique. Non-Verbal spells._

_Others: Trained to unarmed attack and defense, strong endurance, quick, discreet and clever_

_Sex: Male_

_Code Name: Tama_

_Wizard Specialty: Unmatched with Fire spells. Highly skilled with ancient Occlumency. Warding. Shape shifting technique. Invisibility spells_

_Others: Trained to armed combat, hot-tempered, altruist, quick as a shadow._

_They will be in command of our army. We chose The Dragon Shape country as a port of their origin and ended up in using this native language for the word 'Commanding', which is Shirei. It also bears two other meanings related to their true nature, one being Water -Shi- the other being Fire -Re-. Therefore, they will be called Ms. and Mr Shirei._

_You will meet them at the beginning of the next year._

The letter was short and clear. His only regret lay in the fact that he could not share this information with anybody else, even Snape would be out of the loop. If he were lucky enough, nobody would suspect those students. However, if he received the blessing of Lady Luck, there would not be any use at all for those children.

Sighing deeply, he knew after living so long that hope was a tool to use in the most realistic way possible.

He closed his eyes and did as should be…he waited.

He was standing straight; both arms spread on each sides of his body, hands laying flat on his desk. His slick hair we about to fall in front of his eyes, but he did not care. He was dangerously eyeing every one of them with is intensive stare, frightening many of students. They were all wondering what had brought this anger, but no one dared to comment on this; instead, they waited for the worse. He finally spoke.

"This period is designed for the preparation of the final test. I do not want to hear any other noise than the one coming from your quills. If you have any questions, you will come up to my desk. You may begin."

No student wished to have to go and ask for any clarifications. They all took their books out and started flipping the pages, following the quiz on their desk.

_That moment of peace should allow me to focus on my personal work_, Snape thought, as he took out his own documents and started to study them carefully.

With the end of the year coming soon, his pleasure was growing up. Only two months left before the relief. He would not have been able to keep this up any longer, with his mind always exhausted due to his continuous nightmares.

The last one had been worse, much worse. For the first time in many years, he had experienced fear. Although he possessed a fair amount of control, it nearly turned out to be useless during that moment. Nevertheless, he did discover a part of himself from this last dream. Even though they had forced him to witness an insane scene, he never gave into the order said to him.

He shut his eyes and put his elbows on the desk. He closed his hands into a fist and allowed his chin to lay on it for a brief moment. For someone who did not have much sleep for over five months, it took this little to drift into oblivion. Then he was instantly brought to the other dimension.

"Greetings, Sir." Dunia lifted herself up and went to stand near him.

After some time passed in this other world, Snape had learned the basic of it and could interact with those people with more ease, but he could not control his departure.

"Don't get me wrong, I am not here to do idle babbling. I am right now in my classroom filled with unblessed students that will probably come to bug me with meaningless questions."

For a reply, she broke a quick smile from her stern lips.

This entire situation enervated him. Severus wondered why he should feel sorry for a girl that had the power to ensnare his mind like this.

"Oh, but it isn't my doing, I thought you should know by now. Jua is the one who can 'ensnare' your soul"

As a reaction to the insult, Snape slightly raised an eyebrow, but kept his mouth shut. Such provocation did not deserve to be accounted for.

His mind finally registered what just happened; she's been able to read his mind since the beginning..

_- That witch! If she capable of this, why does she keep playing the helpless brat? – _He thought.

"To guess what goes on into the mind of a human being doesn't request a high level of skills, Mr. Snape. To read one of my own is much more…demanding."

"And what exactly is the meaning of this?" He knew his voice sounded harsh and bitter, certain that it would unbalance his interlocutor.

"I see that you never relax, do you? I have yet to know more about you if you are to be our Savior. However, as I understand, you need to be out of here as quickly as possible. Tell me, why did you come here?"

Taking a deep breath in order to control his anger, he opened his mouth to give something that would look like an explanation, without seeming to be under her absolute control.

"It was not my intention. But be as it may, trapped as I am, I suggest that we could discuss what occurred the last time we met. Things were...getting out of hand if I may say so." He added a nasty sneer to his features, while ignoring the slight vacillation in the girl's aura that surrounded her. He was learning how to handle the young witch. Gaining his freedom in that dimension was finally at his reach.

"Suffice to say, I must return to my class. You will do well to tell the boy to release me."

Dunia did not back away, but she fixed his eyes intensely and nodded in agreement. She turned Jua slowly, followed by her long garments that caressed the ground. She was again dressed in blue, but with many shades that gave the illusion of a continuous flow of a lively river. This suited her better than what she had been wearing the last time they met.

"Jua, you heard this, release him at once."

"Humph! What an impertinent old fool. I'll obey because it is you, Dunia who's asking for it. Otherwise, I would never follow the words of a weakling, and you would do well to act the same."

The girl gave him a sour response. "Jua! You shouldn't talk about things that you lack the knowledge of. I won't discuss this any longer."

Snape could not see the boy, but the voice was the usual one.

Addressing the man one last time, Dunia barely whispered. "Thank you, Mr. Snape."

He felt a tug and a moment later, he was blinking, trying to focus on where he was. The noise of scratching quills, the whispers, and the smell of his ingredients. He was definitely back in his class.

This game was getting better with each encounter. Soon he would have his way with these two. It won't be said that Severus could be under the power of two little brats, no matter where they came from or who they truly were.

He had felt a string in his stomach from when she had thanked. She had seen a side of him that pleased her. That could be useful in gaining her trust, as for the other kid, he would manage.

In his opinion, playing with the mind of others was far more delicious than using physical violence and it seemed like the boy was also skilled in this area. Strangely enough, he also seemed to be under the control of the girl. Snape would have to remember this for future meetings.

"Professor? I...I'm sorry, but I..." Neville could speak no more. The teacher terrified him.

"What is it Mr. Longbottom? Can't remember where you put your tongue?"

In an instant, the trembling student was back in his chair, nose in his book, and he stayed that way until the end of the class.

Hermione gave him an apologizing look even though he could not see her. She felt sorry for him. Offering her help during lunchtime was the only thing that would do for now.

_Ah! This welcoming quietness is a pure blessing_. He could now work on his projects. Being in his laboratory was always enjoyable; the different fumes were mixing up perfectly; plants, roots, liquids, burning wood.

This potion was the achievement of many years of studies. It was brewing gently, making the perfect amount of bubbles and letting the intended yellow fume. He sat down, pearls of sweat slowly making their way down his face. Flashes of last month's nightmares came back, and in his state, he could not fight them. _Dreamless draught tonight, Severus._ After every dream, he felt as if he was getting closer and closer to something but it slipped from his grasp each time he tried to reach it.

He forced his body to stand up, took the potion lying on his desk, and gave his cauldron a last expecting glance and left the room. _This should be ready by tomorrow._

He was about to take a full sip of the mixture, but instead, he replayed that dream he had last month. Since that one, he had been drinking a dreamless potion every night. He was not ready to go back there, not after this, not after that scene which reminded him of his past.

The Last Dream: One Month Prior

"_DUNIA!"_

"_Yes Father?"_

What came next, took her off balance even if she tried to stay still.

"_How long did you intend to hide your new toy?"_

"_I beg your pardon Father; I do not understand the meaning of…"_

"_SHUT UP! You ungrateful creature have no right to hide anything from my sight. I will not allow such freedom. Bring Jua here and now. "_

"_Jua has nothing to do with this. I will take full resp..." _What she was going to say was lost, as she felt his wrath.

"_You are nothing but a spoiled brat. Maybe some extensive demonstration is needed once again?" _His voice was as cold as a blizzard.

"_Tell me, my lovely, Dunia, is your pet going to show up today? Why, after putting up with you two for so long, I think he merits a reward."_

"_No! You won't hurt him, I will not let you."_

"_Who said anything about hurting him?"_

She could feel his devious mind at work; it brought her soul into turmoil, and panic was slowly invading her. _He could not be thinking of…_

"_I will think whatever I may, and I'll make sure you never forget your rank. Now, let us get back to our little surprise party; you want me to tell you what is going to happen or do you prefer the unexpected? Either way, it would be more appropriate to have you move back to a more…solid form."_

At the same moment, she felt the horrible shrinking; she tried to refuse the imprisonment. To assume the human shell was terribly hurting, and to be forced into it was unbearable. Already, the features were showing, the arms and the legs.

At last, she lay on the ground panting and gasping for breath. At first, it burned her lungs and she felt the usual strong headache. She could not stand up yet but managed to turn on her side, watching her trembling arm and fingers grasping and loosening as if acknowledging their recent appearance. The intense luminosity blinded her for a moment. She finally was able to roll again and helped herself up with the aid of her new members. Long dark blue hair fell on each side of her hips.

Her nakedness was not bothering her in the least, as she stared at the Father. The pitch- black clouds were wavering all around. She knew far too well that it was only a tiny part of him. Like many elemental beings, their bodies were considered infinite.

"_You look perfect for this disgusting human. He should enjoy himself very much."_

No emotions touched her features as she dared reply to this monstrosity.

"_I doubt that you will achieve your goal with that one. Deeds like those are far below his moral."_

"_Don't worry my dear, there is always a way to bind one's mind."_

There was nothing to reply to this.

"_You will put on your Mother's dress; _it looked so pretty on her. Remember? _Well, that is if you can attribute any beauty to a filthy human."_

The cruelty behind his words made her wish for his ultimate destruction, but she knew better than to give him the satisfaction of feeling this anger. Instead she lifted her shoulders in an uncaring fashion.

"_What is it, love? You won't let me hear the distortion of your new voice? Ah! No worries, you will make use of it soon enough. I should delight myself with your arousing scream as always." _

Her new body betrayed her, as the throat went dry and made her choke loudly, quickly regretting this lack of control. She hated him, what he represented, what he did to all of those she cared for. After seeing her Mother ensnared in his web of clouds, seeing as he prolonged torturing her by sucking out her life force ever so slowly, tearing off her flesh limb by limb

She had wanted to kill him, to destroy every bit of this monster, this beast. Her Mother had look directly in the pure pool of water below her until the very last moment making sure to keep the bond shut, focused on not hurting her dearest sons and daughters. She had been the most caring being as far as Dunia was concerned.

"_DON'T SHUT YOUR MIND FROM ME." _

At that moment, Jua's thoughts filled her mind_. "Dunia, your insolent friend has arrived." _

Making sure to shut her mind firmly from her Father, she gave a rushed order to the boy.

"_Jua, listen to me carefully. Shut your mind, Jua, do not let him hear you. Do not let him find you. Go and hide now, I won't take 'no' for an answer._" The panic in the boy's mind flooded hers easily. "_What is wrong, Dunia? Dunia? Dunia, answer me!" _

She had cut the bond.

She turned and fixed her eyes on the garments lying on the floor. _As if he needed to push on the blasphemy._

"Don't worry, love; this is just a copy or her clothes, so you won't have to worry if they get a little bit ...stained." He left her at that, and went to greet the foreigner.

A heartbeat, followed by a rush of urgency.

Snape wondered if something was wrong. He had again ended up in this dimension, having refused to take the dreamless draught. However, all his senses were now warning him of an imminent danger. He closed his fists, angry to have made the wrong decision. That was when he heard a huge door slam hard, and he turned towards the sound.

That door had not been there a moment ago; that he was sure. It was not surprising him anymore, as the surroundings kept changing depending on the situation. What he could not understand, though, was the origin of this smoke that was floating all around him, as if alive.

"Welcome." Said a strong and commanding voice.

"We haven't been introduced yet. You have to forgive the bad manners of my daughter; not that I have not tried to teach her good behavior countless times. Unfortunately, when you are born untalented, there is not much probability to change, no matter how hard you try. Tell me, do you have a daughter, human?"

Severus tried to figure out what was going on. It seemed like the voice was coming from every corner of the room. Having gotten a hint about his host, he thought that the clouds might be the interlocutor. Somehow, this presence disturbed him. He decided to go along for now, but put his guard on a higher level.

"God forbid, I would not be doing such a foolish thing."

"Oooh!" His exclamation sounded very snotty. "Do you not care for the survival of your species?"

"I leave that to more willing individuals."

"Having children is probably the most beautiful and entertaining thing that can be.

But enough of this idle chit-chat. I can feel your impatience to see her. Dunia! Come at once."

A tall and slender young woman appeared. A flash of confusion passed on Severus face. This woman could not be the little kid he assumed she was. Her robe was made from delicate and transparent silk. It was still covering her entire body, but it did not leave much for imagination.

Her graceful stance was quite a sight, and when she turned, Snape's breath held for a moment. Those eyes… Lord, one could get lost in their depth forever. They were pale blue mixed with shades of green, and they seemed to glitter just like the surface of the sea illuminated by the rays of the sun. She was magnificent. Nevertheless, something was missing, for she was not smiling at all. Her full lips were shut in a neutral expression.

"Yes, you are right; the perfect image of her Mother, graceful and yet stern. No worries: you will soon see beyond that pure innocence, I can assure you. Isn't it true, love?"

Dunia remained silent, only waiting for the next command.

"Today is a special treat. I don't think that you have seen the extent of her power just yet? Of course, being trapped in a miserable shape like that one will not allow her to show off completely, but it should bring something interesting nonetheless."

The room changed in a blink of an eye. The guest found himself on what looked like an immense arena. As light was beginning to fill the place, he could figure out the purpose of the many stores filled with rows of chairs that were occupied by many other guests, which were all humans. The clouds were circling all around the room as if taking complete control of the scene.

In the middle, there was a huge cage, big enough to imprison hundreds of people. There was also no way out of it, since the bars went all the way up to the ceiling. Dunia was standing in it, still wearing the same uncaring expression, the beauty of a doll.

"Please, do have a seat" At those words, Snape's knees were being pushed and a chair welcomed his fall.

"Let the show...begin."

The door of the cage opened to let in around fifty men. A voice resonated all around the arena, explaining the rules.

"The goal is to try and win this beautiful prize. You can use any means in your possession, death being the limit. Of course, you don't want her dead until you can get the chance to entertain yourself." There was a voluntary pause to let the news sink in followed by whistles and laughter coming from the crowd. "Enjoy yourselves, gentlemen."

The men in the cage were literally drooling, some showing nasty grins, others already clasping their hands in victory. One man could not wait any longer and ran towards the victim. She was not moving yet, waiting...waiting...and then it began, for real.

In a swift movement, she sent her foot right at the man's nose, pushing him straight into the bars, knocking him out in the process. When the other men saw that he was not getting up, they started looking uneasy.

One big stud let out sarcastically. "So, you are playing hard to get" and rushed forward like his predecessor. This time, she jumped and grabbed his face deepening her fingers until she broke through his skin. Blood splattered on her robe, but she remained expressionless. The crowd was getting excited and so were the ones in the cage.

As if on a common agreement, they all went for the dig and Dunia danced.

There were noises of broken bones, screams of pain and plea. She was fighting for her survival, but ever so gracefully. She would kick and grab, throw and smash. The ground soon became red with both their blood and hers. It did not change anything in her features, at least for now. She seemed to kill without remorse and she went on. The more it splattered, the more the roar of enjoyment from those who were not trap with her. One man got blinded, as her fingers sank into his eyeballs and she sent a deadly kick behind the back of another's neck at the same time. It left her with two brutes, who were quickly dispatched by two vicious strikes.

The cage was cleaned out of the dead and more came in, and more... Slowly, Snape could point out the signs of her tiredness, but the fight did not stop just yet. It was hard to tell how long it lasted or how many she killed before falling on her knees, head bent, mouth gasping for air, blood dripping from all over her body. The door opened again, and it that was when it happened.

Ever so slowly, she licked her lips and stood on trembling knees, her fists firm by her sides. This time, she was the one who ran to them. Ripping and hitting, letting her warrior cry out, she went on and on, not giving time for anyone to react, she killed, tortured, destroyed.

"Won't my guest of honor try her out? Soon she should be ready for the likes of you I have no doubt. Ah! Yes! I see, let her lose all her strength before going in right?" The 'thing' let out a maniac laugh, but did not add any comments.

Dunia was now on her back, eyes closed, her body filled with shivers from time to time. Soon she would reach her limit, and she was trapped in this shell, she could not take anymore, but there was no way for her to stop. She would not let him win. _Mother...forgive me_.

Again the door opened and as the newcomers made their way to her, certain that it was now time for the winning strike. Dunia used the balance of her body, which brought her back on her feet. That swift move made some back away. Her half-dead body moved between them as if controlled by some unknown raging spirit. She turned once and found herself facing Snape, what he saw in those eyes made him grab the arms of the chair fiercely enough to damage it. The sight was beyond sickening, and all he was staring in were two pitch-black holes, no more light, no more life, no more...

"I will go."

"Say that again? You think you're ready for her now?"

Snape's voice was threatening as he spoke the next words. "Don't make me repeat myself"

"As you wish, you are after all, our Guest of Honor."

The door opened to let out those that were still alive as well as the corpses.

"She's all yours."

He climbed down the long stairs, keeping his eyes fixed on the broken girl in the cage. She, on the other hand, was trying to grasp the bars, her back to him. The blood made it impossible for her to use them as a stand pole, and she fell again for the pleasure of everyone.

When she heard the click of the metallic door, she finally feared for her life. _This is the end, Mother...I can't...I'm not strong enough..._ Then it resonated inside her, the heartbeat. She turned her head with all the will that was left and saw him. He was standing still, watching her, probably judging when and where to strike. _Lord no...Not him, not now, not ever..._

He walked carefully towards her. It did not matter how hard she tried, she could not move. She had given her Father the satisfaction of merciless killing, and he would now reach his goal as she was crushed down. She knew that her Father would not let her die so easily though…He would be the last.

What choice did she have, she had to fight, to protect those she cared for, to protect herself..._to protect_...

He was now kneeling next to her, and to everyone's disbelief, he softly grabbed her head and let it rest in his lap. A tension was growing amongst the crowds.

"Take her now! Make this bitch suffer! What are you waiting for? Coward!" followed by a huge roar that filled the entire arena.

Snape ignored the screams and simply kept on stroking her stained hair, unable to say or do anything more. He was himself, lost in the whirlpool of memories from his childhood.

"Fool! She is only buying her time. She will destroy you in your ultimate moment of weakness." The crowd was getting ever so eager.

The clouds were getting thicker and darker. As if it was the cue, she had been waiting for she reached for Snape's throat. To everyone's bewilderment, he did not move at all.

Her grasp was not strong anymore; even though she was putting all her will to finish him off, to spare him from the dirty deeds at hand...she could not win this time. Her arm fell lifelessly. He made her stand up, holding her firmly all the time, and he put his own back on the bars in order to support both of their weight.

"I don't need your help, but this time, you need mine."

The spell was broken and to Severus's sincere relief, the light came back in her eyes. He leaned forward and hugged her gently. He took this one chance and concentrated all his will to heal her mind, to give her strength. At that moment, he felt a familiar tug, which told him that soon he would wake and soon he would be gone. He had to tell her something more before leaving, something that will help her go on...

"Be strong."

And he disappeared.

He opened his eyes and immediately recognized his chamber. In a slow movement, he sat up, somehow feeling at peace. For what had seemed ages, he was the prey of these emotions, as a single tear hang on the corner of his higher lips. He did not wipe it away, forgiving himself for this weakness. After all, he was alone.

E**nd of Chapter 3 / 4602 words**


	4. The Last Encounter

**The Last Encounter**

_One day!_

In only one day, the students will leave for the summer vacations. The Weasley girl was safe, the Chamber of Secret destroyed and once again, Harry Potter was there to save the day.

The Potions master was making his way to the Great Hall. The expected House Cup award would start soon. Not that he cared, Dumbledore apparently chose to support the Gryffindor House and would probably find some last minute extra points to reward the 'heroic' action of his favorite.

Snape knew that those were trivial thoughts, but it did not eliminate the fact that this situation was annoying. Taking a deep breath, he focused on another subject, which had attained a critical aspect; the purpose of the dreams he experienced this year.

He sorted his memories to remember when was the starting event of his encounter with the two kids, Dunia and Jua. To his knowledge, it had begun sometime around the first month of school. Dumbledore had asked him to perform a blood ritual.

_Blood ritual, of course!_

How did he manage to forget about the most obvious cause of the whole matter? He should have considered this possibility from the beginning. Snape realised how low was his understanding of his situation and that fact angered him. Again, he focused on the discussions that had taken place during those nights.

He knew that a specific task would be asked of him, but when? Tonight, he would begin an investigation with his hosts. They will answer his questions, which, until today, had always been evaded or simply turned down. _Patience is the key. _He was not skilled when it came to waiting, but he would have to do his best.

Taking his seat, he politely made his salutation to his colleagues, and paid his respect to the Headmaster. The meal appeared on the tables and the celebration started.

All students rushed in to fill their plate and enjoy the delicious meal. Nobody was paying any attention to Snape, allowing him to continue his analysis.

Back at the beginning of the year, Dumbledore had instructed him with a small vial filled with blood. The Headmaster had informed him about the barrier surrounding the flask, and acting as a protection for the bearer against corruption of the human soul. If only he knew if the old man had also met with those two children in his dreams. However, by asking such question, it would probably put doubts in the old man's mind and therefore, force him to take his gift back. Severus knew by now that this whole plot had gotten the best of him. He wanted to know if it could end up to his advantage.

There was power in this vial, power that he might be able to gain and control for future outcomes.

During his first 'chit-chat' with the two kids, the girl had mentioned something about helping him first forcing him to pay them back. What kind of help did he need that could be handled by two insufferable brats.

At the last encounter, he learned a bit more about the bond between the boy and the dreams. Thanks to Dunia, he knew that Jua had been holding the invisible leash around Snape's neck, releasing him whenever his 'sister' wanted to. This bonding technique was intriguing and would be of great use if he could figure out its functioning.

If he had not been so easy on the sleeping draught, the matter would have evolved much faster. Unfortunately, being a teacher at Hogwarts requested both healthiness of mind and body, especially after the arrival of the Potter boy. He could not be caught strangling a student with the excuse of being too tired to refrain himself, though it did sound appealing.

"Everything is to your liking Severus?"

The teacher's head lifted in surprise. Why was Minerva addressing him now, of all time, and why did he react like a young idiot being caught daydreaming?

"Yes Minerva, everything is to my liking."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly showing that she did not believe his words.

"You have been quiet lately, more than usual I mean. No problem with your students I hope?" There was a quick flash of genuine curiosity and compassion in her eyes, which made him sick. This school's teachers were too soft for their own good. If the Dark Lord and his followers were to return, they would stand no chance against him.

"I can assure you that my House is filled with pure Slytherins brats; full of pride, some with judgment, some without, some with talent, while some others won't have a chance of ever filling the Halls of Hogwarts or the Ministry of Magic. Over all, they are just a group of young foolhardy students."

"Well, you have always been a man with high expectations, but we are not here to produce gruesome warriors. We are here to lead the next generation into a peaceful and enjoyable era. Let them be kids while they can."

"My childhood ended the moment I was able to stand up on my two feet. Adults are too soft nowadays" Snape's replies were getting bitter at each turn. Annoyed, he took his glass of water and brought it to his lips, wishing that it would cut this useless discussion.

"Trust me Severus, if you have children one day, your perception will change. I can picture you as a very talented father."

Snape chocked on his beverage and gave an outrageous glare at the woman, who was still watching him, clearly amused.

Damn, he needed rest. To be taken for a fool was not to his liking, not one bit.

"If you'll excuse me, I have been through a challenging day, with all those pesky students cheering up for the coming vacation. I leave you to it Minerva."

Without waiting for more folly, he gave her a quick departure bow, rose and disappeared through the back door.

"Say Ginny, what will you do during your summer vacation?"

"I don't know. My parents are planning a trip, but nothing's sure yet."

"If you want to visit me you are most welcome. However, you will have to put up with the Muggle's way. It is not that bad all together. We could study and chat until late in the night."

"Hum! I'm in as far as the chat is concerned, but isn't summer vacation supposed to be all about…vacation?"

"Forget it Ginny, you're talking to a walking brain."

"Careful Ron", Harry said without raising his head, but the tone of his voice was clear enough for his friend to understand his warning.

"Sorry about that Hermione, but don't you think you should relax occasionally? I mean… Alright don't give me that look." Ron sighed in defeat and asked for Harry's help.

"I told you to be careful Ron, don't look at me like that".

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to get prepared for my second year. Since Hermione has already been through it, I could use her help with transfiguration, as I already have some issues with grabbing the full concept."

Hermione look truly happy with Ginny's decision.

"You can contact me by owl. I hope you can make it."

Ron tried to change the subject, as he was quickly feeling ill with hearing about schoolwork at the end of the year.

"It's great that Hagrid is back. It must have been horrible being trap in Azkaban, even for a short time. Dad told me a bit about the story of this prison. Apparently, they use foul creatures to torture the prisoners."

"Well I'll be damned. Ron is actually listening to what dad's saying from time to time" shouted Fred.

"Ah shut up Fred!"

Fred and George smiled widely and turned to Harry.

"Hey Harry, what are your plans for the summer? Will you teach tricks to your cousin Dudley? We could provide you with some great ideas if you wish"

"Thanks George, but no. I will do as always, waiting for the summer to end and think about the joy of being back to Hogwarts"

"It's your call Harry. Do not hesitate to send an owl if you want to come to our house. The Burrow is a cool place to be during summer time"

"I will think about this, if Vernon ever let me use Hedwig. Thanks for the offer"

Hagrid's voice cut their little chat. "Everyone's all set? Alright let's go"

It was quiet once again. The empty corridors echoed Snape's shoes as he made his way back to the dungeon. The weather was splendid, flowers were blooming and the wind was joyfully making its way back and forth, making the flags in the Quidditch field flip-flap, producing a maddening noise.

Time goes by so quickly, the Headmaster uses to say. It was already the mid of July. Snape frowned, annoyed about his incapacity to come up with a plan or at least with useful information from those dreams.

From time to time, the Potions master enjoyed coming back to school to verify if his laboratory was still in one piece and to make the inventory of his ingredients. Today however, he had another objective. He was going to examine the vial and he needed to make sure that no curious eyes would catch him in the process. Staying home would not have been a good idea with the house-elf around.

Reaching the door to his apartment, he took care of the wards and increased them as he closed the door behind him.

He took off his heavy black coat and hung it around the huge gargoyle arm standing post at the entrance. Heat rarely touched this place at all, even during summer time. His thick stylish dark robe, high neck but neatly rolled over, was very welcome. The vial was hanging over it. Snape sat in his laboratory and began his exam of the flask. There was no sign of the barrier and nothing seemed to have happened. He took it off from around his neck and held it into the light.

The blood seems to be human, the vial was not broken and the cover was firmly sealed. He could not understand why he did not probe Dumbledore about its provenance. He did ask, but the answer had been evasive. _What a shame_. Frowning gravely, he took off the cork with great delicateness and put it on the table. He smelled the blood, but nothing seemed out of place. Then he froze. Was the barrier protecting him while the vial was open? Would the Headmaster have asked such request if he knew it could endanger his life?

Quickly replacing the top over it and putting it back around his neck he brought his hand to his forehead and gently rubbed his temples. _Fool_, he thought. He was feeling sleepy again. Visiting the kids never gave him a restorative sleep. Nevertheless, the investigation about these nightmares did go forward.

Snape found out about a very interesting spell not to long ago: a very simple one at that, but rarely used. The spell, Sogno Scrivere, also know as 'The dreams that sews through the night', has been made up by a renowned Italian Wizard. Its purpose is to put on paper every aspect of your dreams during the night. To have them compiled had its advantage when more analysis was required.

Snape has now ten encounters stored in this book. Apparently, the exam of the vial would have to wait; he took out the book and began to read the last two.

**June 2nd**

"Good evening Ms. Dunia"

"Greetings Sir, you look happy today. Something good happened?"

"Well, if you consider the end of the school year, then yes, it is something that brings me great pleasure."

"Why do you keep up with this teaching work if you do not enjoy yourself?"

"In the human world, we have to work as an excuse to make a living."

"That doesn't explain why you teach!"

"This, little miss, isn't of your concern."

"Hum! I understand that you will be playing the blockhead today. You may act as you please and we will do the same with you."

"I do not play and if anyone is good at that, it would be you more than I."

"Yes of course it would. Please forget my comment about you looking happy; it was a silly thought of mine."

"You are pretty arrogant for your age young lady."

"And who told you about my age dear Sir? You have already witnessed; we can achieve many forms. You being a human, it is only polite for me to achieve its shape, which should make you feel comfortable. A human child is also closer to the purity of life and the form I always fancied."

"Actually, it would be quite instructive in seeing the extent of your power."

"You have already seen much Mr. Snape. Remember the field, the lake, the darkness. These are all forms that we can choose to turn in to."

"Maybe"

Dunia went on, ignoring the sour reply.

"By assuming a shape that your mind will recognize it allows you to feel at ease, makes you bring down the judgment and therefore, open your mind to my words. Talking to a tree or an insect for that matter would not have had the effect desired."

"It seems like you give great care in my well being Ms. Dunia, so tell me, how come you keep avoiding my questions? It seems only reasonable to answer my curiosity. What about telling me more of this Savior issue?"

"Doesn't the word speak for itself? You will save us. That should be clear enough."

"You know very well that it doesn't. When and where will this occur? What will you ask of me? Don't you think that I should get prepared?"

"The time is not an issue at the moment. You will know when it comes"

"My patience is running thin." Snape replied dryly.

"Dunia, this human is going over the limit. You shouldn't accept such behavior."

"Be quiet Jua. Do not forget to whom you are addressing yourself. I will not tolerate this silly tantrum."

Unable to contain himself, Snape interrupted the duo.

"A little family quarrel, how interesting."

"Mr. Snape, I would appreciate that you keep your comments at bay. The Family is not a topic that we will discuss."

"Well, if you won't answer my requests properly, I will be taking my leave."

Dunia gave him a hard look, but accepted the request, seeing that this encounter was a waste of time.

"Jua, release him. Goodbye Sir."

**Back in Snape's laboratory**

That dream had its interesting bits. Although she had again refused to be straightforward, she had revealed a little about their condition. Knowing their age was not that much of an issue, but it would help decipher the relationship between the two. Obviously, Dunia was older than Jua but her talent seemed to lay elsewhere. How knowledgeable are they in the art of magic? Apart from being shape shifters, what else could they do? What was the link between the blood and their world?

All this brought up more questions and few answers. He was getting irritated. Nevertheless, he turned the page and read on.

**July 4th**

"Anyone here?" Snape asked to the emptiness.

No sound, no reply.

"Playing the Hide & Seek game?"

The air around him was still. Snape found himself in a huge forest where the top of the trees could not be seen from the ground. He walked straight ahead for a short moment until his senses realized that his feet were not making any noise as they crushed the leaves underneath.

The only thing that he felt was heat and it seemed to be getting worse and worse by the minute. He took of his cloak, wrapped it around his arm and kept walking. Where is this place? Where are the kids?

His legs were getting heavier. He knelt on one knees, trying to find his breath. It felt as if he just ran the marathon. He dropped his cloak, and tried to unbutton his wizard dress, however, when he was halfway there his breathing was too heavy.

"Air...I need air now..." his lungs were on fire, he could not move freely...sleep...he wanted to rest...just...rest.

Snape was on his back, half-naked, eyes closing gradually, until he lost consciousness.

A shape appeared not too far from him. It was a woman. She walked slowly toward him, observing his feature. She knelt next to him, caressed his hair, his face, the lenght of his neck, and went on to his chest. Curiosity crept insider her mind. Now that he was vulnerable, she could take the time to get a good look at the man lying there. He did not look troubled anymore, though his breathing was labor. She smiled. He was handsome in a way, slim yet manly built with many scars running in the deepness of his skin. She leaned over his face, examining his features closely. This man had suffered and he was not at the end of his torment...but somehow, she could not pity him. He possessed the strengths to go on.

Severus felt a presence, a human, who was it? He fought to open his eyes, but could only make them half-open. He recognized the ways of a woman, the softness of her breath, the gentle caress. It brought him to a certain level of excitement. The closeness and the need, if only he could will his arms to lift up. As if reading his thought, the woman slowly closed the gap between their bodies until their lips met. The sweetness and fullness of her mouth made him growl in delight. The kiss went from tender to passionate, although she was controlling most of it. He did managed to slip his tongue as languorously as possible, and was more than pleased when she received it willingly. They kissed for what seemed eternity.

Slowly, her reaction became shallow. Snape did not want this moment to stop, both his mind and body craved for her, wanted her, all of her. Her body was so warm, he thought, or was it his? No matter, the feeling was numbing his senses completely.

Dunia was taking her time to discover those new reactions within her. How did they call that feeling that crept inside and flooded her mind? If only Mother was still here to confirm it. She had been human after all. All these burning emotions were somewhat painful to her, but it felt good, very good. She smiled again, gave a last look to Severus and disappeared.

He felt a tug, just strong enough to shake him off his drowsiness. He could breathe more easily. As he tried to put himself on his knees, he realized that the sounds of the forest were back. He took a huge breath and waited for the heat to go down, both inside out. Who was this woman, her scent had made him lost total control, and yet, was it really her fault? He took another deep breath.

"Are you feeling well Sir?"

He looked up to find Dunia floating not so far from him. Damn, just what he needed, a bratty little kid to turn him off.

"Does it look like so?"

"It is hard to tell. Why are you standing on your knees half naked?" Her voice sounded amuses, but no smile touched her face. Both her and Jua had stopped blurring their face once they thought he could be trusted, or it could have been just another of their foolish games.

"I am on my knees because the heat brought me down for a moment. As for my bare chest, I would suggest you look another way if it isn't to your liking"

"Hum! Grumpy as usual."

"Why did you take so long to find me?"

"I wanted to give you a taste of our world. You did felt the discomfort, is it not? Which one do you prefer?"

"I do not understand your meaning" Snape replied dryly.

"The last time we met, you didn't seem to care about how well I treated you. So today, I let you wander around and I find you in a confusing state."

"I am not confused silly girl, just catching my breath"

"Of course"

"This is again meaningless blabbering. I will be leaving now" Snape made to stand up, but his legs were not completely ready for his weight and he felt back on his knees.

"What a pity! It must be so embarrassing to face me while being so vulnerable isn't it?"

He could strangle her just now, foolish creature.

"Now now, let's not lose patience, it doesn't fit you at all." The sarcasm in her tone made him growl inwardly.

"Since you do not want me to leave, surely you will take this time to answer my questions?" He gave her a nasty look and this time he managed to bring himself up.

"Only if you have learned to ask them properly"

"Who was the woman with me, just a moment ago? Unless you weren't here yet?"

"A woman? So you enjoyed yourself while I was away did you? Was she to your liking?"

"You are not answering me once again."

"Patience is the key, isn't it what you told yourself?"

This time, Snape was speechless. His mind on the other hand was racing. Did she just admit that she could read his mind even when his was not asleep? He remembered thinking about patience, but he had been awake.

"Poor Mr. Snape, getting confused once again. Let me give you at least one straight answer.

"Both our world and yours are connected in some way. Just like Earth is linked to the Entire Universe. Powerful beings can travel between them, act upon or destroy, control or watch."

She paused for a moment, to let this bit of information sink in.

"Human named them Extra-terrestrial beings, but in fact, many are from the same plane, the same planet. As for you and I, you could say that we both share the same world. My specie always surrounds you, but we possess our own plane of existence. As for your presence here, it is the bending of my will. I need you to play a part in making things right once more."

"I see. Although, I'm confident that you have much more to tell" Snape added, feeling that he could get more from her sudden openness.

"Not today I'm afraid. Jua! Release him" And turning her back on him she added in a soft voice "It has been pleasant"

**Back in Snape's laboratory**

Snape re-read her last words and began to feel uneasy. She had let out the fact that his presence had been 'pleasant'. What was she referring to? Surely not what he was thinking about.

When he had woke from that dream he had been alarmed to find himself half clothed. Normally, what happened in the dream and in his bed were related to his mind only. He would feel the pain of a burning or the cut of a knife, but he would not bleed for that matter. However, this experience had been different. Could it be that he was not gaining control like he first thought? Could he die in this place and never wake up? This game was getting a lot more dangerous.

He put this thought behind and tried to focus on the concept of different planes and connections. She had been willing to give him loads of information this time.

Closing the book, he frowned and lay back on his chair, lost in his thoughts.

There had been no dream after this one. He had stopped using the sleeping potion but his dreams were back to the ordinary.

He stood up, gathered his things and left his apartments.


	5. Trapped by his memories

**Trapped by his memories**

He was pacing the room restlessly, arms fold and eyebrows frowning. Suddenly, there was a pop announcing the arrival of a house elf. It brought him back to reality.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped at the house elf, which, without surprise, let out a high squeak.

"Nora is to tell Master that breakfast is ready"

"Get out! And next time, ask Erin about the rules for breakfast"

The house elf didn't wait to be told a second time and disappeared in a small cloud of smoke. He received Nora from an old acquaintance that already had too many house elves. Snape had simply accepted the house elf without needing further explanation, just wanting to get rid of the man. Snape began to understand his eagerness. Nora was useless and was afraid of her own shadow.

Sitting down on his bed, he let out a long sigh and stretched quietly. His position was rigid as ever as he walked towards the bathroom. The hot rays of light fell on his pale skin and blinded him for a short moment before he shut the curtains with a careless movement of wand.

He watched himself in the mirror, facing what could have been an undead. The lack of sleep during the past semester had blackened the surroundings of his eyes and his skin seemed to have dropped further more.

He never liked the sun and kept himself hidden in his dungeons or in the darkness of his rooms. After a fashion, it gave a translucent aspect to his skin, and gave him an older and sterner look. That thought brought an ugly sneer. Why should he care about his appearances or about aging? That only meant more knowledge and more power, which were two things that really matters in this world. _Isn't it true father?_

"Crawl Severus"

Young Snape didn't move, refusing to obey his father. He would not be treated like any worthless house elf. His small body was covered with bruises and his left eye was already turning to a purple blue from the last assault of his patriarch.

"What is the matter? You can't follow simple command? If I say "crawl" you obey without question. You are a pathetic excuse for a son, and mine at that. Where did I go wrong to be stuck with a brainless twit such as you?"

The boy's higher lip was swelling and it made it difficult for the boy to move it as he tried to answer back.

"I am nof wifless. You are fhe one fhaf have no righf to exisf…" His childish tantrum was cut short from another blow.

Snape flew through the small room and knocked himself on the wall. He could not hold back a scream.

"SILENCIO" his mother shouted with a broken voice. She would always put a stopper to his scream, even though it wouldn't take away the pain, it would at least leave a faint trace of ego in Severus's heart.

"Now, isn't it better darling?" His mother's voice wasn't unsteady anymore, but her eyes, locked on his son's, were clearly expressing her tenderness and love toward him. Tobias Snape was putting all his attention on the boy.

"You are so full of pride and stubbornness. I will break you, just like I did for her. Your mother finally learned her place and earned the right to stand by my side. But look at you, self-centered ungrateful blockhead. Listen well; it might be the time for you to ponder on what good you'll be if I kill you. I won't always go soft on you. You will obey me, this is my last warning." And on this, he kicked his son in the ribs repeatedly and watched him with a cold expression on his face.

Snape had been six years old.

Water was dripping in the sink, but Snape did not pay it any attention.

His jaw had tightened from the feelings of hatred that crept inside. He had surpassed his father in power, the day he challenged him, the day he left a half dead man behind. Severus had not been able to finish his father, but at this stage, the old block was no more threat.

That's what he thought for several years, until he understood the reality of his situation. Even with his father out of the map, he had always been under the command of a leader, never able to achieve such position himself. The shame filled him. The Dark Lord had apparently perished and the only path for Snape had been to join and be trapped in the web of an old cunning wizard, Dumbledore.

There was not much difference between the two. One would say the Light? _Ah! Give me a break_ Snape's thought. Dumbledore will always play his cards as he wishes, no matter who would get to suffer in the end, exactly like his archenemy. Both only have one desire; to carve the world to their liking.

He wanted to shape the world to his heart desires as well but as he watched himself closely he wondered about what was left of his dreams?

_Dreams!_ He hadn't been able to get into the other dimension since July. Summer was ending soon and he had to admit, out of frustration, that it bothered him. He didn't want to lose this link of power between him and the blood, him and this other world. He needed it, craved for it and it rightfully belonged to him alone.

With this new power he might gain the rank that he so greedily desired? There would be no more pitiful students without ambitions, no more weak teachers and most of all; wizards would quit hiding like a bunch of rogues.

This secretive state of their world had brought horrors like those he experienced within his family. The pure-bloods were belittling the half ones, bringing them to do their worse bidding, driving them mad with repeated curses and hexes. Just like this time…

*IMPERIO* shouted the man at the end of the table. He was a lean man in his forties, still at the prime of his life as a wizard. An aura of ambition floated around him constantly; a very dangerous man who will stop at no obstacles to attain his greatest wish, immortality. He never missed a chance to flash his superiority as a leader, expecting every of his members to obey him blindly.

Everybody had finished their meal and was waiting for the Master to instruct them on their next movement. The young Severus had been chosen to serve at this important meeting and being a half-blood, this was a great honor.

But has he turned to leave the guests, he found that his mind wasn't being responsive any longer. Slowly, he drifted in a world of delight; his heart felt free from the usual troubles. He turned, grinning widely, which was again, unusual for him, but who cares? It felt so right, no worries, only the comforting voice instructing him to take a seat.

The ten years old boy did as he was asked, sitting next to the man at the end of the table. His smile was splitting his thin face, giving him a near inhuman look.

"You are so obedient; growing up to be just like your faithful parents; such a wonderful family picture." The man laughed dryly.

The whole table fell into complete silence in fear of what would come next, although, some had an idea. At first, it had been nothing but rumors, but with the last minute invitation that were sent a week before, it became clear that somehow, someone had managed to screw up big time.

All eyes turned towards Eileen. She wasn't harboring her normal self-confidence look. Seeing her son under this man's grip, had the desired effect of fear for him and for what might happen.

"The path to greatness is only seen from my eyes." said the man has he kept his gaze on the trembling woman.

The small group did not dare speak or breathe for that matter. "Unless some of you have reasons to disagree, thinking that you possess the right to surpass your Master? Let me show you what true power is about."

The dark figure sat back in his comfy leather chair and remained silent. The boy took off his shoes and motioned himself slowly. He climbed on the thick wood table, filled with multiple plates, knife, and forks, and made his way to face his mother, the grin still on his face, not conscious of trampling her meal with his barefoot. They all watched as he grasped her by the neck and brought her on the furniture with him, still holding that monstrous smile. With his thin stature, it clearly suggested the uses of magic. The young woman went for her wand, ready to stun her son and gave him as small damage as possible, when she realized that it wasn't where she always put it. She was weaponless. Turning towards her husband would have been the most foolish thing to do, so, thinking in a heartbeat, she went on her knees and pleaded the Great Lord to have mercy.

"My Lord, it has always been my deepest wishes to gift you with everything I possess. I would never have left you in the shadow. Whatever stories you heard were all lies from those that always craves for more."

"Eileen! It would have been wise to train your son in the art of Occlumency. Anyone can read through this boy's eyes, so clearly that it brings you shame. You should consider locking him up; it appears that he is much more curious than you may think" On this, the dark figure let an amusing smile touched his lips and went back to his concentrated silence.

Voldemort's path to victory had obliviate his mind of any sense of compassion towards his followers or lovers for that matter. He delighted in the torture of the human flesh, knowing that the mind and soul were meant to be broken anytime he wishes. After each raid, many had witnessed his eagerness to demonstrate his power and his lack of fear or remorse as he beat a Muggle to death, without using magic. He believed that wizards should never indulge themselves to use magic when they wanted to subdue those unworthy beings.

Eileen was waiting in silence, fearing for her son, more than for her own safety. Although she knew far well that, in order to protect Severus from the raging moments of his father, she had to be strong, death was not an option.

Because she knew how devious the Great Lord could be, she could not help but shivers, fear refusing to fade away. This time, it was not just one of Voldemort's silly tantrums. She did not need to look up in his eyes, to understand that he was over the border of committing murder. She held to her memories of happy moments with family, hoping to hold on, but anguish quickly came back and she wondered where and when things started to go so wrong. Eileen wished that words and plead would stop the man, she hoped. Her thoughts were cut short as pain surged without warning, stretching, slashing her strength to bits. She screamed, in complete lost of control.

A moment later, young Severus was forced into hexing his mother, trapped in the veil of unnatural obedience, unaware that something was truly wrong. The scene was performed in deep silence, except for the agonizing screams of the woman. Her son kept sending curses over and over, until he was able to hear a second voice in his head.

"SEVERUS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He knew that voice, recognized it has his own. But why was it so loud? He did not wish to hear the words from that annoying voice, but somehow, it succeeded in getting his attention. His body froze, unable to move on.

"It looks like your son is finally awaking. Perfect timing I would say. It will allow him to witness my power and the price of failure" Snape was standing still, fighting an inward battle, that none could follow but himself and the tall man.

To the surprise of the audience, the boy didn't move, showing his ability to reject the Great Lord's curse. The commanding voice in his head was purposely growing fainter and fainter and allowed him to grasp the reality. He could now see fragile form of his mother, curled and shaking. His eyes refused to look away, his mind acknowledging the fullness of his previous actions.

Many of those gathered at the table were perplexed. They thought that Eileen was cruelly assisting Tobias when he beat their son, so why wasn't he taking his revenge.

Snape felt his stomach twitch, familiar reaction to strong violence, he would soon be sick. He kept blinking his eyes, trying to keep the tear inside, to keep his dinner inside, he had to stay in control, _just…be strong._

The man spoke once more "Lestrange, take his place. I will bind him to your seat and make sure that he remembers this."

Gripping the sink hard enough to make is knuckles go white; Snape wanted nothing more than to forget this scene.

He always remembered; the screams, the blood, his mother's robes ripped apart and thrown negligently to his face, falling on the ground next to him, the endless aroused moans of men as they savaged her body repeatedly, and the worse of all, the blank expression on his father's face.

There exists many ways to break the flesh, mind and soul of the human being, but the Great Lord has always been keen to using the crudest actions. A punishment was meant to crush down any sign of dignity, pride and strength.

His mother had never been the same after. He would surprise her mumbling, pleading or crying to herself day or night. Sometimes, she would spend hours trying to get a nonexistent stain from any part of her body, cursing herself and her family in the process. She loved her son, but she would abandon him to his father. She was broken and as a teenager, he never found a way to help her out.

Life teaches us how it takes only one trivial decision to bring forth great disasters. That's what caused Eileen to fall into the depth of hell, never to regain her dignity.

Every moment where Tobias left the house, Eileen would leave Severus wander around the house. His father normally kept it locked in his room or confined to certain rooms. During is wandering, the boy had found something incredible in one of the restricted room.

It consisted of a new procedure to create and perfectly control a constructed body out of clay. The experiment was already far ahead and there were plans everywhere. He had been overly fascinated and had spent his wanderings days in this place, studying the mechanism, understanding the complexity of mixing ingredients, and the multiple spells that allowed the wizard to gain the upper hand on his own creation.

It was, of course, the work of his father, but the gossips that spread afterwards ended up quite differently.

On a particularly dark day, a tall man had visited his father. As soon as his eyes locked on the boy, he had taken him for a walk in the garden, supposedly to test the boy's magical ability. It had not been hard for the Dark Lord to confirm the boy's fleeting thoughts. It would not have been an important matter, for the fact that the experiment had been hidden from his knowledge.

Right after the man's departure, Tobias suspected something might have happened and quickly spread the tale about being married with an unfaithful wife who conducted strange experiments without his acknowledgment.

It took two weeks before the Dark Lord's gathering and the torture of Eileen.

After the incident, Snape's true hell had begun.

Although Tobias was unable to perform magic, the Great Lord found something to reward him for his loyalty. He was given a powerful item. An intricate sculpture of a man and woman bind together in a sordid position. No matter how ugly the item was, it allowed the user to actually bind the soul of another without the need to wield magic. With this, Snape's father was able to use the Imperatus curse, not at its fullest, but strongly effective against underage wizards; their mind unable to resist the need to obey. It so happened that his favorite target was his son.

Whenever he felt like enjoying himself, he would summon Severus to perform any duties as low as those reserves to the house elf or worse.

During those years of continuous beating, degradation and sordid days and nights, Hogwarts became Severus's only escape, if he could say so. His youth has been filled with hatred, fear, disgust, anguish and finally, emptiness. Students were not kinder to him, but at least none could control his mind. He would spend most of his time at the library where he endlessly read books, hoping to find a counter curse to the Imperatus spell. However, his researches were always fruitless. It did allow him to gain knowledge on the field of mind control and mind reading; he knew what he had to do. He had learned to shut his mouth and wait. He did wait, buying his time, building his strength for the right moment.

The memories would never leave him in peace though.

During her moment of lucidity, his mother kept telling him to be strong, to hold on to his memories and to never turn is back from his goals. By doing so, he would never allow his father to get the best of him. He swore to follow her advices until the bitter end of his worthless existence. However, as if life had not been cruel enough, it was Eileen who left him first. She died young, but no longer beautiful.

The blur created by his uncontrolled tears, made it difficult to look in his mother's eyes as she was asking him to. The picture was gruesome above anything he had seen or did before. But he forced himself to listen to her last words, not wanting to abandon her more than he already did.

"Severus... my baby, my son...I...I am so sorry for this, for him, for you" her voice was nothing more than a whisper, blood pouring out at each word.

"How can you be sorry for him? How?" but his strangled voice didn't allow anymore words. He didn't want to show his weakness in front of her; he swallowed his anger and let her speak.

"Hatred brings nothing...don't let him get..." She was cut by continuous coughs that brought more blood up her lips. With his trembling hands Severus whipped it out in the gentlest way possible. She opened her eyes as wide as her strength allowed her. She wanted to look at her son before speaking the next words, he had to know.

"Severus, I…love..." But her words were never meant to be heard as she shuddered violently and then her breathing stopped, her eyes fixed on her son.

Severus did not move, still talking to her as if she could still hear him, telling her how ashamed he was, how pitiful he must look, how he would have wanted more than anything to save her, to bring her the comfort she deserved. When he stopped, accepting that bitter reality, he felt a tickling at the back of his neck.

"Isn't it beautiful, the whore and her worthless offspring in their last embrace. Are you regretting never to feel her smooth skin again? I could transform her into a lifeless doll if you wish. She would take you in her arms and rock you softly, or to my command, she could strangle that tiny neck of yours."

The fifteen years old boy turned in a slow fashion, readying his face to stare at his Muggle father with a murderous glare. He wanted to let him know that he was ready for him, ready to bring forth is final breath. Suddenly, his mother words came rushing into his mind, trying to stop him from running to his own death; he could still fight, still live. This brought back the emptiness and he surprised himself in smiling, a genuine madly as he looked straight at his father.

"My, my, aren't we feeling devilish today?"

The boy lifted his shoulder in an uncaring way.

"You don't fool me boy." His father smiled dangerously and took a step forward. Snape didn't try to run, knowing that he couldn't escape the wrath that was coming forth, but he still his body, ready for the blow, loosing his mind in the delicious idea of getting his revenge.

"If you don't care about her, I imagine that no matter what happens right now will have no effect on you will it? Good! IMPERIO" Tobias took out the small statue from his pocket; he always kept it at hand, a reminder of his loyalty towards the Great Lord. He laughed inwardly, thinking that it had all be thanks to his bitch and her offspring that he had gain more 'respect' in the eyes of the Master.

A moment of panic flew into the boy's mind, but it quickly evaporated as the commanding voice spoke softly.

"Look at her. Yes! that's it. Take out your wand and help her out of her garment. Good boy! Clean the blood from her body and bring her on the bed. That's it. Now, if I am not mistaken, you know what do to next don't you? Sit down and learn. Today, you will have a biological class. I am sure that Hogwarts will never be able to give you such accurate information like I will, you really are spoiled to the root."

He could not fight the IMPERIO. Some free thoughts could get through, but because of his state and lack of strength, he could not fight it. He sat and watched his mother used has a decoy for biology purpose. Even though his mind was ensnare, his body had a natural reaction and he splattered his supper on the dead body, tears tarnishing his cheeks, unable to control himself has it kept going out noisily.

"Can't handle that few?" Came the panting voice of his father has he struggled with Eileen's arm, twisting it frantically, breaking her bones in the process. "You see" he went on "I can not use magic and because you are too weak to help out, my hands will have to do the trick."

Severus mind screamed out; "BLASPHEMY! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER?"; unless like this time with the Great Lord, it did not succeed in altering the power of the curse. The statuette had been expressly carved to unable any type of release, unless you were off age.

"Come boy; help me out with this one." Tobias's voice was touched with madness.

Severus's strength was leaving him, lost in the swirling pool of maddening command of his father; finally he felt on the bed, unconscious. He awoke on a vicious hit from his father.

"YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE IN OBLIVION!" Peering intensively into his son's eyes, he went on.

"Now, I told you to help me with this."

The blow brought enough capacity for Severus to acknowledge the scene; he wanted to scream and to run away. Instead, he obeyed, his heart aching at each breaking bones, even though she was dead, he was defiling her body once more.

"Stop, don't break her thoughtlessly." For a moment, Tobias stayed silent, watching his dead wife with a hungry look of lust and depravation.

"Lord, she was hot, wasn't she my boy?"

Severus had abandoned the fight and could not feel any emotions other than yearning to obey.

His father's hand fell on the boy's knee, lurking under his robe.

"Repair her" he said gently "Repair her broken bones, make her beautiful again, just enough for my purposes. I know you can do that, Lestrange teached you." Insanity made Tobia's nostrils twitch, drop of sweat rolling from his forehead to the tip of nose.

Silently, Severus took his wand and healed his mother's body the best he could. The bones remained broken, but the skin seemed to become filled with life, her face glowing and her cheeks flushing as if she had just been laughing heartily.

"You're a good boy. Now listen closely." He whispered the command in the boy's left ear, letting his tongue tickle the lobe for a moment.

The boy's robes disappeared with a quick wand movement; he leaned over as instructed, his mind swimming in a pool of darkness.

**Snape's bathroom**.

"ENOUGH!" he yelled to the emptiness, clutching the sink fiercely, his head bent and shoulders shuddering. A curtain of hairs fell in front of his eyes, mixed with his cold sweat. He felt the unmistakable twitch in his stomach and reached the basin just on time. Having eaten nothing yet, there was only bile and the ache provoke by the act. He hoped that it would help make him focus, bring him back, to shut down the memories, but it didn't. Yes, he had become a master in the art of Occlumency, but by doing so, he had also release all the memories, even those stored away by the Imperatus curse.

After a fashion, he was able to stand up again, eyes madly glittering, hands still firmly shut, mouth extremely thin. If anyone had got in the way of Severus Snape at this disturbing moment, death would had strike them instantly. All notions of control had left him.

The silence was cut by a strong heartbeat.

All the tension of his body disappeared at once and he crumbled, knocking his head hard on the basin and he lost consciousness.

A ghostly hand was stroking his hair tenderly, speaking some unknown language that had the purpose to sooth his mind. He had helped her through a rough situation as well, and now was the time for pay back. She remembered his words of comfort, not only did he lend her strenght, he also terminate the whole sickening session. When he had left her in the cage, the entire display at vanished as well, giving her enough to flee from the grasp of the Father. She had regained her strength after a fashion, all thanks to him.

She would respect his mother's word, and will not ask Jua to alter his memory. Sharing his thoughts had not been an easy task, his heart filled with so much pain.

She wondered if she should take the blood back. She could not predict the future, but a war rarely involved pacified discussions over a bottle of sweet drinks. Sighing deeply, Dunia decided to trust in the complex weaving of Life.

Her mind made up, she repeated her murmuring. The healing spell should put him back into a suitable resting state.

A delicate sigh escaped his mouth, which meant that the healing was finally acting on his soul. She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss. It would be long before she would meet with him this way. A new year at Hogwarts was starting soon, and she will have to live in the role of an eleven years old girl.

This plan couldn't fail, no matter what. They owed it to the respectable last old friend of their Family, Mr. Dumbledore.

She waited until Severus woke up but parted before he could feel her presence.


	6. Clothed with flesh

**Clothed with flesh**

Rain was pouring down during their trip to Hogwarts. Kyo was looking out the window, somewhat worried about the presence of the dark clouds. Their Father must have finally heard of His favorite toys disappearance. She wondered how long it would be until she would be summoned. The thought brought shivers down her spine; she closed her eyes, trying to calm down.

The transformation had been very difficult to support at first. This technique was far more evolved than the one she would normally use back in their plane. It was to be lasting much longer and Dunia had no idea of the consequences that could derivate from it. No matter since they did not have a choice; this situation was requiring more precaution and they couldn't risk the possibility of exposure.

Nevertheless, they should. Dunia uneasiness came from the fear of not being able to always have free access to their powers and perceptions. Neither she nor Jua had ever tried this technique before. She remembered the pain and the impression of losing the grasp on her unlimited self. She had been sick for a whole week, her body shaken by uncontrolled nausea; same effect for Jua although it lasted for two days.

Their first visit in their human flesh had been the dragon shaped country. They installed a compound on a remote island, insuring total discretion. The preparation took a month; they had to find supplies, have a mansion built, hire servants, learned has many languages as possible, study the basic of magic, contact Dumbledore to confirm their arrival and perfect their masquerade.

Dunia explained the plan over and over again to make sure that Jua understood the necessity of holding the illusion at all time. He was now her brother and would answer to the name of Tama while she would be called Kyo. Their last name, Shirei, was to remind them of their real identity. When decomposed, Shi-Rei could mean Fire and Water, the two elements they handled the best.

Jua had instructed her in the ways of human behavior from what he glanced by invading the mind of the servants and native of the land. She had difficulty to grasp all the concepts, especially the ones pertaining to the multiple emotions human faces each day. It was disgusting to find out how little she knew about human after all. It had been so easy to handle Mr. Snape; then again, she had had a leash on him.

It had only been a month, and she already felt as if something was linking from her mind. It brought fear into her heart but she could not let Jua think that she was not confident; she had to be the strongest and protect him at all cost.

She sighed deeply; this plan had to work out or else, they would be in great danger not to add that they wouldn't be able to complete their mission.

"_Dunia? Are you okai?" _Jua inquired silently.

"_Fool, what did I told you? Let's not use the bond unless it really is necessary. And you should also start to refer to me as your sister, remember?" _

"Euh, Kyo, are you okai?"

"Yes brother, thank you."

Scary! Her voice was way to cutie-ugly for her taste and poor Tama, he sounded just as soft.

Sighing deeply once again, she pushed her worries away and turned her attention to the magazines and newspaper lying on her lap; Top 5 Music, Star Mania and The Daily Prophet. Getting to know the latest news of both Muggle and Wizardry worlds should help them blend in with the others.

Their background was relating them to a wealthy and powerful Pure-Blood family living amongst Muggles in order to study their kinds, their techniques while keeping a firm grip on their gift as magic holders. This story was perfect and it would explain their abilities for Muggles combat technique as well as their knowledge of both histories; better be safe than sorry. Now the only thing was to get up-to-date with present events.

The newspaper was telling stories about a dangerous murderer on the run from Azkaban, probably a prison. Then it says that 'Dementors' would be patrolling. What are those? The name didn't sound appealing at all. Kyo cut the word in two: Dement / Or. It meant; -making someone lose its sanity-. So these people purpose was to control the mind in order to bring the criminal back into their cage. That was really fascinating, to think that such being could exist in this plane. Kyo wondered how they look like.

"They might be pretty dangerous indeed" she left out for herself.

"Who?"

"Those Dementors, they seem to possess great power, if they can bring someone to the bridge of madness."

"Let's make sure that we do not end up meeting one then." Tama's childish laugh resonates in the small compartment."

"Well, if you don't behave, I might ask for it to happen." Kyo might be a child, but her previous personality was still ruling the new one, and her features were a bit too much stern for her pretended age.

"You know sister; you should have work on your appearance a bit more. Children are free from worries and smile most of the time. Aren't you happy to be out in the open, away from the Family? One more thing, children aren't as stuck up as you are, remember, I've wandered through their minds."

"Now listen well Tama" Kyo hushed her voice to the lowest.

"We will never be free from Him until we accomplish what must be and even then, our only weapon resides in a sterner being than I. We are talking about a man so locked up, so hard to approach, that it might be difficult to simply bring out the facts to him when the time comes. Yes, it was easy back then because at was our world. Today, the tables are turned and we must be prepared. Until we perform the request of Mr. Dumbledore, we cannot proceed to our plan, we must respect the oath. Once done, then maybe –She emphasized on this word- maybe we could start talking about being free of the Family. As for my look, I would suggest that you shut your mouth and show respect."

"I know all that, I know. It's just that, well, forget it. What if you were wrong? What if Mr. Snape turned out to be a weakling coward, or worse, a traitor? I am just worried about you"

"Then at least, we will have honored the Family by giving a helping hand to Mr. Dumbledore as asked. As for him…" She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath "…I will kill him personally if needs be. No more argument from your part will be accepted. Thank you for your worries, but you better learn to start protecting your own back."

"Alright!" Tama cut this short, annoyed by his sister already. Their plan would never work if she kept pouting like that.

The train stopped abruptly, throwing the papers on the ground and making both of them jump in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Tama was bearing a confuse expression.

Kyo winced. They would never be jumpy for so less back in their world. The heart of a child was definitely too weak. She stood up and went for the door. Many students were doing the same, searching right and left trying to find where the problem could be coming from. Since nobody was really helping, she got back on her seat. At that moment, there was another bang and everything went still.

Gradually, the temperature turned from comfortable to cold and from cold to absolute glacial. The water lingering on the windows, from the recent rain, was turning into ice and their breath were forming considerable amount of vapor. It lasted about fifteen minutes until the commotion stirred up again in the corridor. Some were saying that a certain Potter had fainted; others were ready to swear that two students had died, and finally, a tall man with brown hair and an awful amount of scars slashing his face passed through the crowds while commanding the students to keep to their compartments.

The name Potter wasn't unknown to her, especially after delving across the complete Daily Prophet archives. The boy had been defending himself against one of the most powerful man known to the wizardry world. Then it stroked her. They should have come to Hogwarts as teachers, not students. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ she repeated to herself.

Tama was staring out of the window gapping widely. She followed his glance and immediately understood his reaction. Floating not too far from the train, was a tall hooded figure, cloak slashed to bits with bony hands confirming his 'death' state. But what was more than frightening was the hungriness for darkness emanating from their aura. _Even worse than the Fater?_ Kyo wondered, but she couldn't compare those two.

That thing floating over there could have been human; the shape did look alike, than again, someone who would look at her now could think the same. Where were they coming from? She would have to investigate all this, her curiosity was aroused.

The train suddenly gave out a loud cry before getting back to its purpose.

They arrived at the train station and were lead by a huge man, heavy bearded with sparkling eyes. Tama was overjoyed and Kyo was expressionless, still deeply lost in the provenance of the Dementors and the identity of the creatures she witnessed.

"Welcome everyon'! now follow me."

They walked for a short time, before facing a magnificent lake. A fair quantity of boats was waiting for them and so, they all climbed in and made ready for the departure. The view offered by the moonlight was breath cutting, but it was nothing compare to that of the School itself. Kyo's childish human heart leapt in joy and she could not suppress an "Oh!" of appreciation, to the great pleasure of her brother.

A tall and thin woman greeted them, her manners were really noble and genuinely mother like. It was the kind of woman that would not let you step into stupid situations, even if you tried to convince her of the need to do so. They would need to avoid her during their investigation of the castle.

As they entered the Great Hall, Kyo straighten her robe and kept a high and stern figure, relief to be in control once again. Her brother, on the other hand, was walking sloppily, grinning at the ceiling, totally lost in the wonderful view. Somehow, she accepted this behavior, she had always been the one that have kept her 'head' cool, protecting him the best she could. Sure, he had suffered; but every time, she had used the bound between them to absorb the biggest part of his pain, never letting him aware of it. When she was under the rage of the Father she had always shut the bound completely and kept him at bay. Her Mother had taught her how to handle this particular gift and she felt that it was her responsibility to protect him, to allow him the resemblance of a happy living.

The tall woman was now explaining the sorting procedures and began calling the students one by one. _This she said that a 'hat' would be responsible for the sorting? Strange technique indeed_. Kyo frowned slightly.

"Kyo Shirei"

Her muscles tensed a bit. It still felt awkward to be called up by that name. Until now, only Tama and the servants had used it. She step forward feeling the gaze of the students. She took place on the stool and waited. The Hat remained silence for a moment, trying to figure out where to put this new student. Not wanting to disturb, Kyo kept quiet even though the hat was more or less asking her questions. After deliberating on her different abilities, he finally spoke clearly.

"Slytherin!"

It was followed by screams and sparse hand claps from a table close to the wall. She walked toward it, harboring a powerful and confident look and took a seat next to a binocular small girl. She never caught the eyes of a dark robed man fixed on her as she made her way to the table.

"Welcome Kyo. I guess your brother will follow you soon. He's kind of cute" the girl let out. _Cute?_ Kyo had not been listening intently to her brother's teaching; she was now facing the consequence. She turned toward the crowd of students waiting to be sorted and watched her brother carefully. Out of pure logic, she only saw a 5'7 inches boy, dark hairs, light grey eyes, somewhat tanned skin. How did the girl knew he was her brother?

"What makes you think that he will join me?"

"Well, normally, family members tend to be regrouped in the same House, unless they are totally different all together…I mean …in their personalities."

"Why do you say he is cute?" She might as well starts learning more.

The girl giggle and her cheek turned to a dark pink color. Kyo raised an eyebrow, completely clueless.

"He has a nice face, quite square for his age, but it only adds to his charm. But his eyes are the first catch. I have never seen a Japanese boy with eyes like that, it's amazing, especially with his dark hair and tan skin." Then the girl became quiet, shy all of sudden.

"I see" Kyo replied flatly, unaware of the uneasiness felt by the girl. She was focused on the sound of her own voice, which irritated her. How would see be able to sound confident in the eye of the Headmaster? Her thoughts were interrupted by the name of her 'brother'

"Tama Shirei"

This sloppy manner was too boyish. Wait a minute; he IS supposed to look that way. Kyo rolled her tongue insider her mouth, commanding her mind to shut up. It would get tiring very fast if she couldn't control it.

"Ah Yes! GRYFFINDOR!" The Hat screamed out.

This time, it was a roar combined with huge clapping sounds that welcomed the new student. This table is wild thought Tama, not unhappy. He grinned and went on to take a seat, glancing to his sister for a brief moment.

She raised her shoulders in an uncaring fashion.

The sorting went on, until all students had taken their place with their new group. During that time, Kyo was scanning the staff table. She made eyes contact with the old man sitting in the middle of the staff's table and was answered by an expecting glare. Most of the teachers were smiling sincerely and even seemed excited with the arrival of new "recruits".

Only one had a bitter look on his face. Her eyes stayed on the shallow face until a switch turned on in her mind. It's him! Her heart went up racing madly, and even though she should have stopped watching him, she just couldn't. Something crept inside her, but she couldn't identify its meaning. _Stupid me, why didn't I take more time to study human's reaction?_ The emotion gave way to another, this time her jaw tightened. _Anger!_ That was an easy one to remember.

"His name is Severus Snape, he is our Head House. If you have any Slytherin issues, he's the only one to whom you should turn to."

"I understand" Kyo replied, turning her gaze towards the student who interrupted her staring at the man, all for the better.

"Hey! You don't need to sound so formal." The small group of youngsters burst out laughing. Kyo didn't understand this situation at all, but it made her feel angry once more. This time though, she kept it to herself, putting back her placid expression which she had work on for weeks before coming into this world.

"Aw! Come on, don't take it that way."

"Which way are you talking about? I did not move." Kyo said in a complete serious tone.

That brought another round of laughs. Some were even wiping their eyes from shed tears.

"Looks like we ended up with a quite funny girl." said one tall, long brown hair guy sitting two places from across.

"Sounds to me like she's totally clueless." drawled another one.

"Ah come on Draco, that isn't nice. She's just a first year, you won't scare her out right from the start now can you?"

"Hey Thready! Where are you from?" Draco was referring to her the two threads of hair falling along each side of her pale figure. Kyo had chosen the style from one of the fashion magazines she had found in Japan.

"My name isn't 'Hey Thready!', and I come from Japan."

"Yoohoo! She got guts the little one; a true Slytherin." Coming from the student sitting next to the one called Draco.

"Don't you think it's a bit too soon to give her this title? I think we should… test her abilities, what do you think Flint?" A long brown hair girl, probably fourteen years old, was watching Kyo closely with a hint of malice in her eyes. Pansy hated the girl already for receiving direct attention of her lovely Draco.

This unwelcome situation was cut by the Headmaster announcement of the meal. All tables were soon filled with an enormous amount of food. They all forgot about her and went to fill and dig into their plates. Eating was still hard for the siblings. They could not understand how human enjoyed the aftermath of putting these things inside their belly. At the moment though, it was not what was bothering Kyo.

She looked down at her empty plate, tears slowly blurring her vision. Why was her heart feeling as if someone had crushed it mercilessly? What's wrong with me? She tried to remember Tama's teaching once again. The emotion that brought tears was often triggered by sadness. It was overwhelming; she had to find something to get her mind off it.

She raised her head and look towards her brother's table. He was laughing out loud, while someone was patting his shoulder which seems to be a behavior of acceptance. That gave her just enough boosts to get rid of her gloomy feeling. As she turned her back, she caught sight of her Head House, and again, her heart missed a step. Heat was rising quickly inside her, alarmed, she knew that she had to do something and fast.

"Intimidating isn't he?" She jolts her head in surprise and turned to face a pale skin, dark auburn, probably eleven years old as well. Yes, she remembered seeing him moments before.

"I guess he is" her voice wasn't sounding as confident as she had wished for. Intimidating was probably a feeling. She instantly related this feeling to the previous reaction of body when she had look up at him. _Good! Let's keep learning_.

"I heard the complete series Snape's reign of terror from my elder brothers. I should mention that they were placed in Gryffindor, just like your brother over there, so it might make a certain difference."

Kyo made a slight nod, trying to look as normal as possible.

"Are your brothers still here?"

"No, I am an unexpected offspring. They are all adults now, even some have kids already."

"Oh! You must feel…hum…how do we say? Lonely?"

"God, you are straightforward." his tone wasn't aggressive at all; he even added a shy smile.

"Things are difficult to grasp in this wor…I mean this environment. I am sorry if I did not express myself properly." Kyo quickly added feeling again, that she didn't react the proper way.

"Yes I know. We tend to make our own little world back home and suddenly, we are being exposed to a bunch of wizards. School is cruel in a way." he let out a little laugh and went on

"My family isn't that old, but we do have a complete lineage of Pure-Bloods which makes acceptance a bit easier. What about you?"

"We do as well." Her reply went out quickly, again, making sure that no confusion could be possible. "My Family has moved into the Muggle crowd for the mare desire to discover their way of living. However, the lineage really is a strict issue."

The boy didn't hide is surprise and cut her short "How do you handle living amongst the Muggle? Isn't it difficult? I mean, you had to go to a normal school before moving here?"

"No, I had my personal tutor. A great man extremely versed in many different arts of magic."

"Impressive. You are lucky."

"What do you mean by that?" the shrinking feeling was back again. Was being "lucky" good or bad? _Mother Earth_, _I know so little of this world_. Everything seemed so easy when she was watching the lot of them from the sky or the ground during her wandering as a complete elemental. Something was wrong, her knowledge and confidence that she always had on the other plane, seemed to be lacking or dissolving.

"Not bad at all, it's actually great. Your family must be wealthy and that's a good thing, especially for a member of our House."

"I understand"

"What are those?"

"What?"

"The stuffed animals snatched to your robe?"

"Oh! These? They are very popular in Japan. It's called 'Hello Kitty'." Maybe she should have left this at the mansion. She thought that it would be a good add on to her disguise.

"It's cute."

"Really? But it does not have a square face nor grey eyes." Her face turned to a bright red.

Fortunately for her, only he was listening to her, but it did not stop him from laughing heartily. Seeing her discomfort though, he stop and latch on an explanation;

"What I meant was that it looks, well, out could I say it. This is colorful and the cat shape is really nice"

"I see. So cats are cute and so are grey eyes and square face. Thank you very much" Kyo was again more confident about her knowledge; she gave him a broad smile.

"Now you're the one who's cute" he added in an amusing tone.

That feeling again, as if her heart would burst out of her chest. The same as when her eyes fell on her Head House. Was she intimidated? At least it felt good if only a bit breathtaking. The type of discomfort she could live with. She stared at the boy with an unreadable expression, unable to let her mind relax, she kept listening and passing comments from time to time until the meal ended.

As they stood up, the boy presented his right hand to the girl "My name is Jonathan Lent, nice to meet you"

She wondered how to react. He was introducing himself, that she understood, but the hand part was nothing she was used to. Back in Japan, she had seen people bow when that type of encounter occurred. So she bowed low enough, respecting the fact that he was the same age as hers and because he knew more about this place than she did.

He seems to understand, probably aware of the Japanese ways and he bowed, although it was a bit awkward. Then, he explained her that in England, people shake hands when they acknowledged each other. Well noted she replied.

They were following an older student that showed them the way to their common room. It was a big lounge filled with huge wooden tables and English comfy sofas; the colors of the room were dark but it only brought a feeling of warmness. They made their way to the dormitory and she realized that they would be sharing with four other students. The three girls were overly excited with all the events of the evening. Kyo, on the other hand, went straight to her bed and sat on it, breathing deeply, feeling exhausted.

"So, tell us, what your parents do? How is your family? Do you have other siblings?"

It took her sometimes to realize that they were talking to her. She opened her eyes just to be facing three popping heads observing her in the most impolite manners.

"You hair aren't black, you put a spell on them right?"

"What are those things dangling from your robes? Can they talk?"

"Is it true that you live amongst Muggles? That must be dreadful."

She was insouciantly twisting a strand of hair between her fingers, already annoyed of her comrades. Taking a control breath, she went on answering.

"My Family possesses and controls half of the Japanese companies. As for my hair, this is the trend of the country. Those "things dangling" are Muggles toys. Living with non magical folk isn't that much of a deal. Inside our walls, we are using magic all the time. We just live with them in order to study their behavior. No, I do not have other siblings except for my brother Tama."

By the end of her speech, the three girls were ridiculously gapping at her

_That should keep those mouths shut for a while_. As she prepared herself to go to bed, their babbling went on all at once.

"You must be very rich!"

"Why did you come all the way here? Isn't there any magic school in Japan?"

"Do you have a broom? I bet you'll get the latest model. Oh that's right, we're not allowed on our first year."

"Are you going to spend the holidays here? Or are you flying back home?"

"Wow you're so lucky"

And it went on and on until she gave each of them a dangerous glares, and shut her curtain with a careless wand waving.

Would she be stuck with them for the whole year? Or worse, for the whole scholarship? She almost hopes that troubles would start soon, allowing her to put a stop to this painful masquerade. Shutting her mind from those trivial thoughts, she went to sleep.

"_Good night Sister"_

Her eyes opened in a flash, heart racing once again, but this time, out of frustration. The fool! What did I told him earlier?

She left her brother without reply, certain that it would show him how to behave. Kyo was suddenly reminded that she could shut the bond at will, which she did at this instant. She did not believe that any harm would come to either of them anytime soon.

Kyo woke up very early for her first day. Taking out her schedule, she scanned it.

The day would begin with Transfiguration, followed by Charm. For the afternoon, she will have History and Potion.

She got out of bed, dressed up, took her the books pertaining to each subject of today's classes and left the room quietly. _Great, I'll use this free time to investigate the castle._

With great pleasure, she found the corridors empty. Quietness helped her focus. She stopped to take out a folded parchment and her wand. She was ready to create a detailed map of the school. She went on, walking and drawing with the help of her wand, the numerous corridors, hallway and rooms.

She finally reached the library. She stared at the door for a moment, before taking the decision to enter. Folding back her plan, she opened the door and chose a table. A group of older students were also present, flipping through enormous books and taking a lot of notes. Many looked at them, probably wondering why a first year was already bent to study. Classes have not even started yet. Missing the questioning glances, she put her books on the table and sat gracefully.

It was the perfect opportunity to evaluate her capacity to reach out to her limitless mind. She opened herself to relaxation and breathing slowly, gradually pushing the child in the multiple drawers of the soul and letting her real self spread out. Of course, remembering to keep her appearance. To her relief, the exercise proof to be successful.

She had given some thoughts about using her power, in order to maximize her roaming of the castle, and to speed up her studies. She had no idea when the real danger would knock.

It worked out just fine as far as the study was concern, because fifteen minutes of quick reading, had made her go through her five books required for their Transfiguration class, the three that would be used in their Charm class, the enormous tome dedicated to the theoretical and practical art of Potion making. As for History, she had her share already. Tomorrow she would take care of the other classes. Dumbledore had allowed them to choose as many classes as they wish. Magic was not so much of an issue and with their fast learning abilities they won't waste time with homework of any kind.

She would have plenty of time to concentrate on the real issues. Contracting her mind to a tiny bits and bringing back the girlish attitude was still very demanding. Not to omit that sickening that crept inside. Again, she took long, controlled breathe.

She stretched gracefully with a sly yawn, though in reality she could have fainted from the sudden tiredness that filled her whole body. She lifted her head to find the small group of older students watching herm eyes practically bulging out of their heads. This must be part of another way to express a specific emotion. Enough is enough she told herself.

She stood up and went to explore the many shelves, searching for a book on human emotions, manners and nature. Asking her brother would be like admitting she had not been listening closely before.

Her long life experience had made her believe that she knew anything there was to know about human's relation and feelings, but now that she was facing their reality, she had to concede that it was not an easy task. On the other hand, it also strengthened her belief regarding her plan of action. By learning their way, understanding their minds and studying any reactions they will have more facility to bend their will, and maybe avoid unnecessary conflict.

_Ah, excellent_! She took a heavy book out of the shelves and went back to her table. Behaviorism, human's nature. Confident that this book would teach her all there was to know about this species, she smiled prepared to read.

She first thought of releasing her inner self again, when the logic won over the practical. The information should sink into her human mind directly, allowing it to grow. There was chance that she could taint the concepts if using her elemental perception. Human should understand themselves more than any other could.

She raged though, as she saw the time flying by. Good thing she had woke up so early. It took her an hour to grasp the cause and effect of fifteen human basic reactions. Classes would start soon, and if she had been weary earlier, now was even worse. Her eye lids could barely stay open, and her vision was blurry. Nevertheless, she still had half an hour to ponder and reconstruct those new concepts

The toughest one was to accept the fact that humans were actually close to machines, forced to react to external stimuli. The book associates those reactions to instincts. Her human mind had refused and is still firmly rejecting this concept, screaming for its capacity to control its environment and the certitude that there was a bigger plan to its existence. She felt has if she had two different personalities battling insider her head. Dunia cold logic and trained mind agreed hundred percent, while Kyo was getting angrier, insulted by the book's affirmation.

Going back to yesterday's events, she remembered the feeling that had crept inside her and almost made her shed tears. Was it instinct? She had also fought those tears, not wanting to show any weakness, but it didn't felt like back in her world where emotions were more like tools to help you evolve. Back there, to construct your surrounding meant that you were able to accept and join with the emotions in a beautiful display of pure creation.

Yesterday, she had been overwhelmed by the emotions which were rushing and threatening to burst her heart in bits. She had to fight to maintain control, fight not to cry, and fight not to scream. There was nothing beautiful or creative in dealing with human's emotions. To her disgust, it sounded more like a badly handled Master and slave relationship; the leash always refusing to bend.

A growl escaped her mouth as she went with her analysis of the few chapters she'd been able to read.

The book stated that it was recommended to think before acting. Pure logic, both Dunia and Kyo admitted. What a relief for once. Still, they both wondered if everybody followed that logic.

The beginning of a headache forced her to stop her investigation. It didn't matter since it was time to get to her classes. She put the book back on the shelves, packed her thing and left the Library.

"Can you believe that they are both siblings? First of all, they are so different in their manners. Not to forget that they were sorted into the most opposite Houses. And God, just with their looks, once seemed to had been thrown from heaven while the other one had probably been abandoned by the Pit of Doom."

The girlish trio giggled cruelly and went on with their chattering.

"Now, what you say is so true." said Sarah. She has simple dark blue eyes always glaring at everyone as if ready to tear their heart and eat it for dinner.

All heads nodded in complete agreement. Kyo had a terrible temper and did not look pretty at all, especially when it came to her dull features and strange hair style. They couldn't believe that she belonged to a Pure Blood family.

"Isn't it strange though?" Lilian pointed out. "Have you ever heard of Japanese with blue eyes, even dark? Or grey eyes for that matter?"

The three girls sharing Kyo's dormitory had already began to act like true Slytherin, backstabbing their companion without her being there of course.

As if she realized what she just said, the blondish girl went on

"I have to confess that I don't care if his eyes are grey" she said in an ecstatic voice.

"You should take a have seen him when he stood under the sun this morning. His eyes were reflecting the color of the sky with its touch of grey; so much that I wished he would have turned his look at me even for a short time. He's so handsome" she said languorously

"That's so true, but you forgot to point out his magnificent raven black hair with deep dark blue slashes in it. I bet its all nature, not like his sister. I spied on him this morning" Sarah admitted, hiding the flush that came to her cheeks with both hands. He was focused on some thoughts, his back lent on the wall and cloak open in such a carefree fashion. And contrary to you Lilian, he did look at me at that time, though it was a bit creepy, because I was as if he felt my gaze on him. And, Oh! Wait to hear this. He smiled at me, I swear. I almost fainted. It's a good thing that my brother didn't pass in the corridor during that moment of pure delight. I would have been in deep trouble."

"Yeah right Sarah, you always come up with something better to impress people. If you're so confident in what you're saying then you'll have to prove it to me and have him smile at you again" Lilian was not even hiding her jealousy.

Those were of course silly tantrums created by the first girls crush on a boy. However, Slytherin female tend to be more precocious in regards to men, than any of the other Houses.

Annoyed, the girl went on badmouthing their roommate shining from her absence.

"When you look at Kyo, you can't say that she's ugly, but, you couldn't say that she's beautiful either. Her hairs are a mess, even straight as they are. I mean, who in their right mind, would ask a hair dresser to cut it in a boyish style in the back and leave two long threads in the front. It's so ugly and they're not even thinned enough. They keep falling in front of her eyes and she doesn't even bother putting them back. As for the color, that pale brown does not match with her snow white skin."

"I don't know, I like that color and style." Trisha, who was the one speaking her mind, didn't dare looking at the others; she was the shyest of the three. Even though she agreed with them for the most part, she did like Kyo's hair.

"And it doesn't match the color of her eyes either." The two others ignored the shy girl.

"Aw you know those spoiled kids; you can't ask them to be normal. Just look at Draco with his…"

"Shuush! Are you mad? You want someone to hear that? He's in third year I'll have you remember. Anyway, have you noticed that they both wear a ring around their left thumb? Yes! I Swear! At first it didn't strike me as odd, but now that I think about it, it's just...strange. Hers is blue and his, is red. It does look sexy and powerful though, even on her. I will ask mum to buy me one, nothing big of course, just for fun you know?!"

"At least I agree with you on that. And don't worry for Draco, my brother is taller and older than him." Sarah replied, readjusting her position, to show her feeling of superiority. She was the only one in the trio who had a brother at school.

Kyo made a sudden entrance which resulted in the three girls to yelps guiltily.

Quickly though, they took some resemblance of composure, trying to hide their bad mouthing.. As Kyo entered the room, she could feel the tension and hypocrisy, two new concepts she learned when she got back to the library after dinner. She ignored them and simply went to her bed and shut the curtain. Her first intent had been to forget about this, but her heart was again threatening to deflate in the most agonizing way. She opened the curtain and making sure that had their attention, she spoke;

"If you wish, I could show you how to create a silence ward. That way, you wouldn't have to cut your babbling when I get in. It might prove to be too difficult to learn though, so next time, I will make sure to cry out whenever I am coming back"

Forgetting the advice of the book about thinking before acting, her words had just sent the sparks of war between her and her roommates.


	7. Trampled illusion

**Trampled illusion**

"Jonathan! Hey, wait up!"

The young boy turned at the mention of his name, wondering who it could be. When he turned, he saw the student that called at him. He was an elder, maybe in 4th or 5th year.

The older student had to catch his breath before talking.

"Do you always have to be in such a hurry? Jonathan's your name right?"

"Yes! Who are you?" Being a first year and uncommonly shy, it always made him nervous whenever someone older addressed him.

"Relax! I'm want to talk about that new Asian girl, you know, Kyo."

"Oh, I see. Sure." He felt a bit better but did not know what to say, feeling foolish. At least the teenage was also Slytherin.

"So, where were you heading? Do you have a class soon? If not, I would like to talk to you now."

"It's okay! I was just going to the library, to get some information on the Transfiguration theoretical side."

"Ah! You're already showing the signs of a perfect OWL to be." The student smile warmly and put an arm around Jonathan's shoulders.

"I won't take too much of your time and I think that you'll be delight with what I have to tell you."

They went to sit outside, a bit apart from the others. There was a tree with no one nearby; they sat in the grass with their backs well resting on the trunk.

"Gorgeous isn't it?"

"What?"

"The weather John. You don't mind if I use this nickname with you right?"

"No, no it's okay." actually, he hated it already. "It's a bit cold. Winter is coming"

The other went on with useless chit-chat, trying to make the boy at ease.

"How do you like it so far?"

"The school is great. Teachers are awesome, well, except for some, but that was to be expected."

"Let me guess. You're referring to a certain Potion Master am I correct?"

Jonathan didn't answer verbally, but his manners clearly expressed his feelings.

"He's okay. The problem with him is because of his high expectations for his students, which is a good thing. Many teachers are too soft if you ask me. Being a Slytherin is always linked with pride and success, so there's no surprise there. I heard that you're doing great in all your classes."

"Yes and all thanks to Kyo. She helps me a lot and we study together." As he spoke, two pink appeared on his pale cheeks.

"Ah yes, Kyo. That brings me to what I wanted to tell you. Her roommates decided to organize a small party for her. I understand that they got into a small misunderstanding and the issue has trailed off long enough. They wish to apologize and take that chance to get to know a bit more about her. They think that she shouldn't keep to herself like that you know what I mean. So here's the plan. I have a note in my pocket. It gives out the place and the time of the party, but it's tricky. She will have to figure it out and then, she can join them. Do you think that she will enjoy this?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Where is it going to occur?"

"I don't know. It's one of the girl who gave that to me and explained her idea. She asked me to bring this to you and Voilà!"

"Hum, alright no problem. I have a class with her this afternoon, so it should be easy to slip it into her pocket or something" he took the paper, wondering why the girl didn't give it directly to Kyo.

"Good! I'll talk to you later then. Keep up the good work John." On this, the student stood up and left.

For some reason, Jonathan felt uneasy about this situation. He was overprotective towards people he cares about no matter his slim features. His brothers always reminded him that he should learn to relax and keep to his own problems. For three Griffyndor, they did sound more like Slytherins. He stood up, gathering his bag, pondering over this odd issue.

He knew that Kyo and her roommates weren't very fond of each other. This party could end up resolving this unnecessary feud between them. He was relieved to see that they would make the first time. After three months, he found that he understood parts of Kyo's personality. She was a loner and could not care less to be left aside. But he thought that she could need friends, especially amongst this House.

Determined, he made his way to the library. He would definitely give her the notes today.

The group of students was packing their books, ready to leave the class. Most of them were half asleep after this boredom History class. Kyo, on the other hand, had truly enjoyed it. It did help that she knew almost there was to know on the subject.

Today was perfect so far. The sunny sky helped put a balm on her heart even if it was getting cold. Winter was knocking at the door.

Another matter that kept her in a good mood was the fact that her roommates had finally decided to ignore her. But the most enjoyable issue was that her plan of the school was finally completed earlier. After three months of scurrying her way in every corridor, rooms, even the restricted one, she had it all on her map.

All that was left was to uncover the secret passageways or hideouts for it were obvious that this castle hold many. That's shouldn't be a problem. It would have to wait though; she was getting more and more tired as the time passed. She would have to speak to her brother about this, to see if he was feeling the same. She had cut the bond between them, and on time, she regretted it

"Hello Kyo, how are you?"

"Oh, Mr. Lent, I am fine thank you very much"

"You know Kyo, you could call me by my first name, and it really sounds strange to me otherwise."

"Oops, I am sorry Mr. L…I mean, Jonathan."

He sighed deeply, but it wasn't out of anger. He was used to her by now. She must have had a very formal education he thought.

"It's okay, don't mind about this. I have something for you, but it's a surprise so I cannot give you more details. I just hope that you'll enjoy yourself"

He gave her the note, watching her expectedly. Will she read it in front of him?

"Okay, thank you. I'll give it a look later on this evening"

"Hum, actually, I think it has to do with an event that will occur this evening. It would be better if you read it sooner."

"I see." Her tone was as flat as a frozen lake in winter. "I do have some free time at the moment. I'll go and read it at the library."

She didn't seem excited about this, but then again, it was her usual behavior. She rarely seemed overly happy about anything.

"I will be going then." He said, hoping for her openness but she remained silent.

"Well, have fun tonight and take care. Oh, and, I…I want to thank you for your help yesterday and all the days before, it really helps." said Jonathan, feeling his cheek burning.

"Don't mention it. See you later" she replied in a neutral voice before exiting the classroom. Kyo was oblivious to his embarrassment. Human love wasn't a subject she explored, thinking that this bit of information would be useless. The only thing that matters were hints on how to destroy her enemies.

Once again, the library was far from being crowded. She sat alone at a table far off in the corner; put her books on the table and took out the paper that was slipped in one of them.

She unfolded it slowly. Her expression was blank at first, but the more she read and the more her neutral feature turned to a pronounced frowns.

_They try reach out to the Heaven,_

_Trapped in the bowls of Hell,_

_At the Entrance you shall wait,_

_For it is against the law to walk ahead_

There was no name and no detail of why she should take part of this nonsense. It was a simple riddle, but it succeeded in holding her curiosity. Her day had been very good so far, so it couldn't hurt to find out more about this mystery.

Again, ignoring the wise advices from her numerous readings on the human behavior, she stood up made her way to the dungeons.

The dormitory was empty when she arrived. She left her books on her bed table, put a warm cloak over her shoulders and left.

She skipped dinner, not feeling that hungry. It was about five in the afternoon, early enough to be strolling on Hogwarts ground. However, the sun was slowly fainting away, bowing at the darkness of night. At least, she couldn't get into trouble if someone catches her at this time. The riddle had been easy to figure out, but its purpose was slightly bothering her. She had to find out. Her strides were quick as she made her way to the Forbidden Forest.

"Anyone here?"

No reply. She had been standing close to the forest, pacing the ground from time to time, not knowing where she should stand; yet, no one had shown up. _How stupid this is_. She was annoyed. She turned her back to stare into the darkness of the forest. The only movement was that of the naked branches brutally bent by the wind. Clearly, winter was more than knocking at the door. _It really is getting cold. I should go back._ As she turned, she felt something tinkling at the back of her neck, but being in her state, young and trapped in this human flesh, she ignored the warning. The only thing that she felt was annoyance, but mostly from the cold wind. Her perception of nature had change since the beginning of the year. Her mind and body kept complaining; it was either too cold or too hot, to humid or dry.

She stepped towards the castle. She hadn't walked two steps when she heard a voice. The words didn't strike in her head until too late. Her body was sent flying in the air and fell heavily on the ground. Stunned from the hard contact, she stayed there unmoving until she regained the sense of urgency and fumble under her cloaks to reach at her wand.

"Who's there?" she asked, unable to control her quavering voice, filled with fright and frustration. She was too dazed to think about reaching for her inner self.

"Oh, scared already?" said a young girl voice which Kyo recognized all too good and it only made the whole matter worse.

"The frightful Kyo isn't as strong as she wants us to believe" bellowed another.

"Get up brat" This voice was masculine and much older.

She helped herself up, peering intently towards the trees. The same snotty voice spoke again.

"Why don't you come closer or do you intend to sleep on the ground tonight? All you have to do is step in the Forest, unless you don't have the guts to do it."

"It is not allowed for first year to enter the Forbidden Forest." No matter the desperate state of her situation, she had to remain logic to the core.

"You would do well to respect this rule Ms Langley." Kyo replied, somewhat feeling more in control. She had no more doubts about her assailers and the only challenge would prove to be the boy, whoever he was.

"Oh! So you finally recognized me." It was followed by silly giggles.

"You will regret insulting us the other day. Nobody will come here to help you out. Your **only** **friend** is chatting, unaware of your distress, thinking you to be enjoying yourself among us. No one cares about you, not even your brother. How do you feel knowing that? ."

"What is the meaning of this? You know that you could get expelled. You are in no better position than I. If Professor Snape hears about this, you won't have time to open your mouth before he kicks you out himself." Kyo had no choice but to try to put sense in the silly girls.

"No worries. We know exactly what to do. Petreficus Totalus." the boy's spoke directing his wand at the helpless girl on the ground.

To everyone's surprise even to Kyo, her body stood up with ease, completing an impressive back flip, effectively dodging and landing on her feet, wand at the ready. She had been able to regain her strength and was more than happy to hear the protests and gaps of amazement coming from the hidden group.

"I do not want to hurt you girls, why don't we call this a draw?" she said, ready to fight nonetheless.

"Let me handle this Rosia, she'll remember how to treat her comrades when I'm done with her"

He walked out of the woods, threatening her with his wand. He had an advantage over her which she did not think of although she knew. He could cast out without wording the spell. She could do the same, but again, it was as if her capacity to think straight had abandoned her. It proved to be a problem when the next spell hit her and she found herself petrified falling rigidly on the cold ground.

"Well, well! Aren't we a pretty sight now?"

Of course, the girl couldn't utter any replies or curse for that matter. She was screaming inside, cursing everyone and everything she could think about.

"What should I start with? He bent over her immobile body, a dangerous glare in his eyes. First, he relieved her of her cloak and slipped his hand under her shirt to pull it over her head. His hands slowly went over her robes, undoing the buttons, one by one, brushing his delicate fingers in the process and allowing biting wind fall on her skin as more was revealed

"It is such a cold night I know. But don't worry, I am sure that a magnanimous creature will come and heat you up a bit, if it doesn't eat you up instead." His laugh froze her blood, amplifying her fear and discomfort.

If Kyo was afraid, she could at least have the relief that she wasn't the only one. With her eyes open, she saw the three girls, who had regrouped around her, staring at him obviously shaken and happy that they weren't the one on the ground.

Kyo found herself with her blouse wide open, partially revealing her frail body, her skin being the proof of her freezing state with the multiple goose bumps. Her small nipples were also pointing out, hard as pebbles.

The teenager bent down to her ears and whispered just for her.

"Consider yourself lucky that my sister is standing next to me right now. Else, I wouldn't mind enjoying myself even with a rag like you."

"Alright girls, let's leave it at that. It's getting late and you don't want to be caught now do you? Merlin, it's really chilly down here." he added putting his cloak closer to himself.

The trio left, their laughs ringing in the ears of the raging girl lying on the ground.

"I'll be damned, I almost forgot. Sorry girls, I'll be right back, you go on ahead without me."

"Okay!" His sister's voice wasn't steady anymore; her childish heart squeezed with remorse and fear. They had their revenge, but now that the feeling had passed, they had the beginning of concerns for their roommate. What if she died out there, with that weather? But neither of them dared to voice out their feelings. The boy seemed to read their mind nonetheless.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. I took care of all the details. I just forgot to give her the forgetful potion." He left them at that, hurrying back to the still form.

"Feeling comfy?"

_I'll make you pay for that as soon as I'm off this curse you piece of trash_.

"Here, drink this." He could have lower himself next to her, but decided to add to the humiliation by kneeling down between her legs, lifting her skirt enough to show half of her thighs.

_Forget about soft revenge, this one is dead meat. _The cold was spreading easier with her legs showing so much. At least, her anger brought a wave of warmth throughout her body, but it didn't last for long. The potion went down her throat.

He was looking at her, actually staring with a hungry look in his eyes. He was old enough to be filled with a raging desire for lust. Knowing that the potion would take effect only in an hour, he leaned closer to her.

With one hand, he went down along her throat, sensing the softness of her skin with his fingers. His other hand was slowly lurking underneath her skirt, grabbing her thigh firmly but sporadically.

Somewhere in her mind, Kyo knew that something was wrong. Anger was quickly replaced by fear; one so overwhelming that she would have cried if it wasn't for the fact that she was petrified.

The boy's breathing was raspy, and the more he touched her, the more it got faster and faster. He wasn't talking anymore, focused on the feelings he was gathering from the touch. He bent towards her lips, hesitating for a moment before changing his course of action and kissing her left lobe.

Kyo's stomach was twitching, threatening to let her dinner out any moment. She had totally lost control of her emotions, she was scared. _What is happening, why do I feel the urge to protect myself, to protect something? _She seemed to remember a specific event of her past, but her fear flushed the memory instantly. _Damn it_. She was back being a helpless child. She could have wept.

"That's a good girl." He whispered, still with this disgusting raspy voice.

He closed the gap between their bodies, pressing intently on her inner part. His growl surprised Kyo. That sound couldn't mean anything good. A beast would do that, not a human. Suddenly, a drop fell on her chin and she realized that the boy was actually sweating and slightly trembling. He took one lobe fully in his mouth, playing with his tongue, licking and sucking frantically. If only she could see his eyes, if only she could get out of this curse, if only she hadn't been so curious. As those thoughts passed through her mind she suddenly remembered the book and it's advice 'thinking before acting'. Now she knew that human being had a tendency to act without thinking and she was facing the consequences.

Without any warning, the boy went still. His breathing was slowing down bit by bit. He painfully gathered himself up, and looked like he had problem focusing. His eyes searched those of the girl, but why, she couldn't tell. They were filled with an emotion Kyo couldn't understand. Without any explanation, he threw his cloak on his shoulders still fixing her gaze.

"I'm done with you. You're still a bit too young for me after all. Have a good little nap."

He left a dumb fumbled girl behind as he made his way back to the castle.

"Have you seen Kyo tonight?" the boy asked, concerned filling his voice.

"No, she didn't show up for Dinner and she isn't in the Common Room"

"Okay thank you"

Jonathan was worried sick. It was already nine o'clock and she wasn't to be found. He had no idea where the party was taking place, but he knew that if she was to be caught after curfew, it wouldn't be pretty. A girl passed by him and he stopped her, asking if she could verify Kyo's dormitory and she if she was around.

Instead of the girl he had sent to the dormitory, it was Rosia who came back to him.

"Of course she's here. Where do you want her to be? You know what time it is already?"

"What? Oh, so she's back then. Good. She wasn't in the Great Hall or in the library, so I was wondering. Did she enjoy the party then? Are you guys in good terms?"

"Couldn't be better? We sorted things out."

"Great. Sorry about that."

Anxiety was still gripping him, but he pushed the feeling aside and went for his own dorm.

Her mind was in a daze when her eyes opened. _Where am I?_ _I can't feel my body_. Panic flared up quickly and brought her back to reality. Wind, trees, ground… _I have my back on the ground. My body…it's cold, I'm freezing_.

She tried to sit up, but could only manage to slowly unfold her fingers. Instinctively, she tried to sit up again, but the pain caused by the cold stopped her movement.

Her muscles weren't responding like they should. She could barely breathe. _Why am I here? I need to get up and fast_. She knew she would regret cutting the bond, but never so soon. Calling her brother would have been helpful, but it could also cause him troubles. It must be late, the sky was pitch black except for the stars breaking through.

She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on each limb. They awoke, one by one, allowing her to move slowly. By doing so, she also became more aware of their freezing state. Her lips were barely able to move. Fortunately, her mind was clear; she knew what to do. Taking a deep breath, she brought forth her inner self. Picturing the magnificent natural hot pool she had seen in Japan, she recreated it in her mind and let the flow circulate freely within each of her frozen limbs. The warm came back little by little, not without a strong feeling of pain has it brought her full body back to awareness.

It didn't take long until she was able to move up, head still spinning. She looked down, at her hands and caught glimpse of her skin. With yelp, she acknowledged her half nakedness.

She gathered herself as fast as her dizziness allowed it. Her trembling hands snapped the cloak around her whole body. She grabbed her wand from the ground and murmured a spell; the buttons of her blouse were redoing themselves up underneath the cloak. The heat was still flowing from head to toes, bringing back her strength, but unfortunately, not her memory. How did she end up here and so late at night? The last thing she remembered was the History class. What happened in between was lost. She felt totally lost.

Her legs were ready for her weight but not for a walk, so she stumbled but managed to stay on her feet. She had no idea of the time, but the position of the moon told her that it was way past her curfew. She would have to manage reaching her dormitory without being seen. A concealing spell could be a good idea. She walked her way to the castle as if drunk.

Once inside, she took her wand out, eager to cast the concealing spell, but heard a noise at the same time. Her tired eyes searched frantically for a hiding spot but there was none. In her panic and dizziness, she didn't register the stairs that were close by and her foot missed a step.

She was falling forward and saw the stoned steps dangerously closing the gap to her face. The survival mode switched on as she flew her arms in front of her, grabbed the border of one step, and flip forward, repeatedly, her movements swift has an acrobat and landed softly at the bottom. She turned quickly and for once, pushed back her mass of hairs that had got in her way just to be facing her worse nightmare. Someone had seen her. Her problems were just starting.

"Miss Shirei, in my office, immediately"

"Yes Professor McGonagall"

"Explain yourself"

"There isn't much to explain, I fell of the stairs end and managed to avoid crushing my bones on each of them." Kyo started bravely, keeping her guard in front of the woman, although her whole body felt ready to crumble.

"You know that this isn't the point. What were you doing up so late?"

As much as she wanted to give an excuse or some sort of explanation, Kyo found herself at lost.

"Miss Shirei. I know it isn't my place to give you detention, but since I am the one who caught you, I need you to be clear."

Regaining her composure, McGonagall finally realized the poor state of the student quivering strongly.

"Good Grief, what happened to you?"

"Nothing, I probably just fell on the ground and knocked myself out in the process." but as she spoke those words, a rush of sadness grasped her heart and she started to sob frantically.

Minerva stood up and took the girl in her arms in a comforting gesture.

"Why are you garments all torn, where did you go?" her voice wasn't hard though. She had to know what the girl had been going through. Most of all, she wanted to know who was the culprit.

"I…"she trailed off. "I have no idea, I have no idea" Kyo let out this time crying soundly, shaking like a leaf.

"I can tell that you are on shock. But if you could give me any details of what occurred tonight, it will help both of us."

I will have to talk with Professor Snape about this, Minerva realized, knowing how the man would probably react.

Interrupting her thoughts, the girl replied in an already calmed voice, though parceled with small sobs.

"I know Professor, I wish I could say anything, but I really don't remember." Kyo was gathering herself up.

"Come now, we will bring you to the infirmary for the night and I will have clean clothes and hot coco brought for you." Her voice and smile were reassuring and Kyo understood that this woman was not as dangerous as she first thought.

"Thank you Professor" was all she could utter in her state.

Minerva was enervate. Why is it that the girl chose to keep quiet? Could it be that she was protecting someone or that she really didn't know anything?

The infirmary was empty when they both arrived. Mme Pomfrey didn't take long to show up, urging the girl to one of the bed. They took care of her and as soon as the coco went down her throat, she fell into a deep sleep.


	8. Mind Games

**Mind Games**

An exquisite aroma of spices filled the room. It could have been ratter enjoyable, if it wasn't for the dark man standing in front of her. Professor McGonagall had shared the information with Snape about the last event. Now the goal was to figure out how she could get out of this mess without jeopardizing her stay in this school. She doubted that he could expel her since it clearly was not her intention to sleep outside last night, but how to convince him when she had no clue herself of what had happened? What would the Headmaster think of his new allies?

Kyo felt better from her stay at the nursery, but she had hoped that Professor McGonagall would have come with her to meet with Professor Snape. But more than anything else, she prayed that the professor had not told him about her performance in the stairs.

"I will ask you one last time. What were you doing outside after curfew" His tone was getting dangerously calm. Unfortunately, it didn't help her to remember what happened and she had no other choice but to keep on relying on logic possibilities.

"I really told you all I know Professor Snape. I probably went out for some fresh air, then fell and hit myself on a rock. I woke up on the ground just to realize how long I passed out. I tried to get back without raising any suspicion, but I did poorly."

"Miss Shirei. You do not want me to wander in your mind and find the truth, believe me." His lips were thinned from the anger.

"Why would you go outside for some fresh air instead of opening a window? How do you explain that nobody saw you lying on the ground since, from your story, you stayed there for over five hours?"

She remained unable to reply to his request. It had been at least five hours if she relates her story to the end of her History class. Everything was obviously unbelievable, but what else could she say?

"You leave me with no choice but to intrude in your mind, and trust me, you won't like it. If I find any hints of misbehavior I can assure you that you will be called for detention every week end for the next month."

Kyo couldn't find anything to say, but panic swirled in her. Would he be able to catch glimpse of her true identity?

"I…really I know it does sound unbelievable, Professor Snape, but I am telling you all I know. It's unclear to me as well."

"Silence! How do you expect me to believe such idiotic story? Stand up and don't even think of evading my spell or you'll regret ever being sorted in Slytherin."

On this, Snape performed the Legiliment spell on her and to his dismay, nothing happened. If glare could kill, it would have been the end of Kyo. His dark expression made her step back out of fear. Was he really the man that was supposed to save them? She didn't remember seeing this side of him during the encounters in the dream world.

Snape replayed what Minerva had told him early in the morning. She had found the girl in a disastrous state; all odds pointing out to an awful situation, probably a student quarreling that ended up dramatically. Nevertheless, Kyo was a Slytherin and should know better than to engage in fights or at least, should managed to get out without being caught. The thought of taking points from Slytherin made his temple beat hurtfully, not to mention the disgust of lowering himself to that gesture.

"Explain this to me then. Anyone lying on the ground yesterday night, with the freezing wind, for more than five hours would be sent to Mme Pomfrey with the use of a levitation spell, **if** they were still alive of course. Yet you were able to make your way back and talk to Professor McGonagall. And let's not forget that you gave her quite a show of acrobatic as well."

The young girl licked her lips and started to pull and twist her trend of hair again. _Think fast, anything_.

"It's my cloak Professor Snape. It has been given to me by my godfather. It really is a great gift for it is imbued with the power to heat the wearer. It protected me from freezing to death."

"Is that so? Go fetch it now."

Seeing as she was not making a move towards the door, he added, with each words spoken with his low silky voice.

"The cloak, I want it in my office in less than five minutes."

"Yes Professor Snape"

Severus was in the foulest mood. Having a student caught by none other than Minerva was simply adding to the insult. Why was he always ending up with the most troublesome youngsters? Thinking about it, the oldest weren't cleverer, not in the least.

He was curious to see this cloak of hers. It would be easy to find out if it was genuine or not. But would it help him to uncover this mystery? He sighed deeply, regretting his choice of ever becoming a teacher.

Kyo was striding the corridors, trying to find a way out of this situation. Something was nagging her in the back of her mind. For some unknown reason, she felt like she had to be careful of her roommates, but why? This morning's first class had been odd. The trio had cheerfully greeted her giggling like idiots. Instead of giving them her usual sour look, she had simply reply, even bowing out of respect. Why did she try to be decent with those brats? What happened last night? Were they linked to this whole story?

She was so absorbed in her thought that she didn't register the quick footstep coming from the perpendicular hallway. They bumped in each other and she fell on the ground, slightly hurting her back in the process. It only managed to get her mood worse than it already was.

"Watch where you're going you fool."

"Hey, that is not a very nice thing to say…to a friend at least"

"M. Lent? Forgive me. I…it isn't the best moment to crash into each other like that." She tried a faint smile, but it only ended up looking like an ugly sneer.

Jonathan offered his hand to the young girl whom accepted it out of politeness.

"I am sorry; I should have also watched my step. I was in a hurry to bring my homework to Professor Snape. I am already too late, but I hope that he won't mind too much."

"Follow my advice M. Lent, do not go there right now. He will eat you up before you get the chance to speak out any excuses. Tell me, why didn't you ask me for help on this homework?"

"You already did so much for me Kyo. I really need to get my act together. By the way, how was your little party last evening? You know that you got me worried for a moment. I was searching for you everywhere, but oddly, you were in your dormitory all this time, so I was told. Anyway, I really have to go. Thank you for the advice, but I must face my demons if I want to become stronger." Without waiting for a reply and missing the confused stare of his friend, Jonathan went on his way.

Kyo did not pursue her run to the dormitory. Her back felt on the wall, heart beat increasing, her mind suddenly racing. What party? He's been looking out for me? Why? Knowing exactly what to do, she broke in a run, looking for the only person who could help her at the moment.

Catching her breath with both hands on her knees, she stopped as she saw two Gryffindors walking down the corridor.

"Excuse me." she said, adding a deep bow, suddenly reminding herself that people did not act in such way in this country. Standing straight, she went on.

"I am looking for my brother. He's belongs to your House." Kyo was facing an average teenage girl with long thick and curly hairs; at her side stood a redhead boy, gazing at the distance a bored expression of his face.

"Sure, what's his name? Oh wait, you mean Tama yes?" asked Hermione.

"I do" Kyo replied curtly.

Then, the young teenage suddenly turned his interest to her, as if realizing who interrupted his chatting with his friends.

"And what's your name? I'm Ron Weasley and she's Hermione Granger"

"I know. My name is Kyo Shirei"

"Not to talkative are we?" Ron was trying to break through her mood.

"No, Mr. Weasley." she replied in a neutral voice.

"Don't mind him." Hermione added, also feeling uncomfortable, but understanding that the girl was in a hurry.

"Come I'll help you find your brother." Hermione took the lead and they both went straight to the Gryffindor common room.

"I'm telling you Harry, those are the oddest first year I've seen."

"Who are you talking about Ron?"

"Don't tell me you haven't notice? I'm talking about Tama and his sister. They are like fire and ice; totally opposite in their manners and their looks."

"What brought this up?" Harry did not follow his friend sudden interest for the first year siblings.

"Well, the girl came to us a moment ago; she was looking for her brother. I introduced myself, you know, and I swear she made me think of a certain Professor Unpleasant Bat. No surprise she's been sorted with those snakes over there. But I think that even they have a bit of a problem with her. She never seems to talk or hang out with anybody."

"She might only be the shy type. Don't forget how intimidating it must be for a girl that had lived with Muggles until now. Even though her family lives within the boundaries of magic, she had never been surrounded with so many wizards at the same time."

"Anyway, why are you so interested?"

Harry looked up at this friend, questioningly. Ron cheeks turned to a soft pink, giving a bit of life to his pale and freckled cheeks.

"No reason. I mean, Tama is as young as she but isn't as reclusive as she seems to be regarding the other students. I think he's blending pretty well with Gryffindor."

At his friend grinning expression Ron let out in a rush;

"I just happened to be there when she approached in the corridor, that's all. Don't you have any misplaced idea Harry, she's far too young for me, she's not my type either and besides…it's not your business."

"Of course Ron, of course" But Harry was grinning widely.

"Ah, let's drop it will you?"

"Yes, I will drop the fact that you seem to be interested in a lonely first year called Kyo. You know Ron, don't mind me saying this, but you seem to fall for girl quite easily."

Ron went out mumbling something about his friend being pain in the...when voices interrupted him. He recognized the girl from this morning. She was with her brother and they seemed to be talking with great agitation. He couldn't keep his thought to himself and turned towards his friend. Now was the time to prove his statement.

"It's them, you see? When they stand side by side, it's more than obvious how unfamiliar they seem with each other and how different they look. I'm telling you, something isn't matching up"

"I thought we had dropped the subject." said Harry. "We should head off to the Library,

'Hermione won't wait for us all day"

"What's wrong Dun…eh sorry, Kyo?"

"No time, I need your help right now, but not here. How is your plan of the school going on? I have mostly completed mine. But I am still missing the secret passageways."

"I found two. We could go to one of them and talk. You seem stressed out or something. What happened?"

"That's exactly the problem. I have no idea of what went wrong, but I know that I have been ripped out of something. You'll have to use your powers on me and quickly."

"Alright, just follow me"

They went from corridors to hallways. As they got closer one secret passageways they rejoiced in finding the corridor empty.

"Let's make a concealing charm to finish up our walk, just in case." Tama took out his wand and performed it on both him and his sister. They slide behind a statue and Tama pushed a stone. A door opened, revealing a long tunnel. Tama hadn't investigated the full length of the passage yet.

"So tell me what is this all about."

"Last night, I woke up on the ground, barely able to move, my body was freezing. God I hate this pathetic human shell. Not only that, but from time to time, I can feel myself drifting completely into the personality of a stupid eleven years old girl."

"It's normal sister. The ritual we performed was very strong. We cannot afford to be caught as you said it. However, we can be assured that when the time comes, we will have fully access to our powers. It's only a matter of time. It also gives us the best opportunity to blend in and find all the information we need without looking suspicious."

Kyo eyed her brother carefully but refused to share her concerns on the matter.

"Since when did you start to think so logically? Where is my Jua?"

"I am also feeling the changes you know. Though sometimes it makes me feel strange. I think I might get use to it better than I expected, probably due to my capabilities to live in the minds of others. Human are so easy to read, I was right to portray them as basic."

"Good for you then. That's exactly what I need you to do right now. Go inside me and wander around. I want you to find any hint of what might have happened to me last night. There is no spell that could be strong enough to erase memories. You have to be quick about it because I must return to Professor Snape's office." She grunted in frustration, pulling on her hair furiously.

"Actually, I heard of the Obliviate spell, but I believe that it would be no problem for me to step on the other side of the veil. Memories can't be destroyed with a simple spell; they will only be stored away, very deeply, in the deepest part of the soul. I, however, can consume them as I wish. I love to dig them out, play with them, toy with my enemies; fortunately, I can also help the dearest friend. But why do you have to meet that git?"

"No time Tama, be quick about it and watch your language young boy."

He sighed both in frustration and discomfort. If his sister was in trouble, he wanted to know.

"Alright, you know the drill, empty your mind" Tama went on, whispering softly, using the tongue of the ancestors.

As the boy's words slowly drifted into Kyo's mind, she could feel the beginning of his invasion. It was his favorite technique. He would have you lost in the softness of his voice and bring you into a state of semi-consciousness, and then he would infiltrate it gently."

"Yo_ur mind is enchanting sister; I could lose myself in it for eternity_." he thought

"Do not exhausts yourself and be quick with it."

She didn't realize how her voice was becoming nothing more than a whisper. Her whole body was starting to tremble until she softly landed on her knees, her brother holding her tightly against him, but letting his own body fall down as well. To share such power was also overwhelming for him. He had to focus if he didn't want to get engulfed in the extent of her mind.

It was getting hot in this narrowed space. Kyo knew instantly that something was wrong. She wanted to reach out to Tama and pinched him on the arm, but she felt so heavy. There was only one thing to do. She used her brother's weight by releasing her own. They collapsed on one another which caused Tama to hit the ground hard. He woke up startled and moaning painfully. He had forgotten his whereabouts and felt groggy. All he knew was that his hands were wrapped firmly around soft hairs. As he moved to regain a suitable position, his lips brushed pass those of the girl lying underneath him.

His whole body was immediately transpierce by a jolt of excitement. His heart started bouncing; he was unable to move away from her. He couldn't see much in the dark. All he could feel was the heat of their bodies and the softness of her skin against his. It didn't occur to him to try and find out the reason for his presence in this dark room nor the identity of the girl beneath him. It didn't strike to him that he must have had a purpose. His body took complete control and forced him to get closer to the flesh, to taste it, to take it.

He bent down once more and this time let his lips close on hers for more than a passing moment. His mind was held firmly by a leash. The speed of his embrace increased, filled with a clumsy boyish desire. He forced her lips to part with his thumbs and slid his hungry tongue inside. Somehow, he knew that it was suppose to be done that way. One of his hands was gripping her arm firmly while the other was going back to holding her head.

The girl was unconscious. By allowing her brother to regain control, she had chosen to drift into oblivion.

When their lips parted, the boy grew worried. A voice in the back of his mind begged him to stop, pleaded him to listen. Slowly, the body lost its grip on the mind. He was still close to her, but he could think. He breathed deeply, focusing on the situation at hand. Why was he standing over this girl? She's unconscious, and might be hurt?

_Ok Tama, calm down you simply kissed the girl. _The truth slapped him as soon as the thought came. _I…I kissed a girl. Is it bad? _ He searched his mind frantically for the answer. Like an automate he reread the words in his mind, what he had learned about boys and girls relationship. He found the sections he was looking for, the one that explained the values and the basic principle of a relationship.

Coercion: to force or compel a partner in any action he or she is against or unwilling.

To compel a partner, he stood up quickly, alarmed by the meaning of those words. In this position, he could finally get a better look at her. The last remains of heat and desire was instantly replaced by an icy feeling.

_Du…Dunia! _He looked at her, horrorstricken.

The truth left him speechless. Did Dunia know about this? About the fact that they weren't controlling their body, mind and soul freely like the thought they would. His jaw tightened, understanding for the first time the real weakness of the body and the danger it represented.

Because he had read about sex and lust, he thought it would be enough for him to identify the reactions and control it as he pleases. After all, under this flesh he was Jua right? He was powerful and in control of any human emotions right? He had reviewed them countless time, confident that none of them could be any match with his superior mind and pure logic.

They had to talk about it; he had to know if it would get worse. Cold sweat was all over his body, unable to put a stopper to it for the first time since three months. Until today, he had been handling this whole masquerade easily. _What if we gradually become weak like them, ending up in losing our inner self, forever trapped in that despicable flesh. _

There has to be a way to insure their transformation was and will always be safe. If not, it could well be the end of them.

"Sister, wake up. It's me, Tama" he did not trust his voice to be steady, but that could be interpreted as concerns for her state.

Kyo opened her eyes slowly, her temples were throbbing madly.

"Hum! My head, it hurts. Where are we?"

"We are still stuck in this hideout. Kyo, I…forgive me, I…" again, he stammered, the guilt trapped his throat, weakening his voice, making him lower his eyes. He felt dirty.

"What? Oh, it's ok. It's my fault, I wasn't strong enough. I had to shut my mind to allow you to be free of it. I hope you didn't hurt yourself too badly."

Tama studied his sister carefully. Back in their world or even at their arrival at Hogwarts she would have blamed him for his stupidity and lack of control. She too, was getting corrupt.

"You mean my head? No…No it's fine, thank you. Let's try again. This time I will not wander like that. Are you feeling okay though? You want to try again?" wait, he thought, this is not what he had yearned to say. He wanted to talk about his new discovery, but his heart was not letting him do so. The fear was holding his intention firmly.

"Yes, let's do it, I need to know and I am running out of time."

"It might hurt you a bit; I will rush in using all my strength. First, sit down with me. I did not explain it to you, but whenever you'll be using your capacity at its fullest; our body will become an empty shell."

"Jua, you'll explain this later, now is not the time"

"It is the time, I forgot but this is very important, and since I'm about to do it, I might as well explain it now.

"Dunia, if you stay out of your body more than twenty-four hours, it will lose its biological abilities and die. You will come back, unable to create another shell unless I'm with you. If am not, you'll have another twenty-four hours to find me. Any delays will result in you returning to our world, forever losing the link we share until I return."

"I understand, now let's sit and be done with it please, it's already be half an hour and Professor Snape only gave me five minutes. If we don't succeed I might be expelled of this school for a reason I will never know"

"Trust me; I won't fail you this time."

Kyo braced herself, ready for this second attempt. When he brother penetrated her mind, she blinked in shock and she shut them tightly, indulging in the pain, holding her brother's inert body against hers. Jua was furiously slithering his way between her waves of thoughts and memories. The power of his raging fire was barely endurable. Had she been only a human being, she thought she would have died. She felt as if her head was about to explode, but she couldn't reject him, not yet. He was getting close to his goal; he could picture both of them walking through corridors, Kyo talking with Hermione. She was now being scolded by Professor McGonagall. He went farther and farther until he finally reached a thick ball. He knew that he had reached the missing part of the puzzle she was trying to solve.

He burst out with all his might and blew apart the fibers of this barrier, freeing the memory. His job done he did not waste anymore time and withdrew from her. The sensation of being back into his human form was giving him great pain and sorrow. His body was shaking madly, but he didn't accept his sister's help. Instead, he crawled away from her, and emptied his stomach soundly. As he finished, he angrily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes glittering dangerously.

"Bastard!" he whispered. "Son of a …"

"That's enough Tama."

"But, Kyo, I have seen what they did to you. I'll kill that sick bastard. Ripping your clothes and leaving you to die like a worthless doll. And the way he touched you. You know there's a name of disturbed looser like him. Tell me, how on earth could you have let yourself so vulnerable? Crushing the lot of them would have been a piece of cake."

"I could not react to the fullest of my capabilities and you know it. It would have blown our cover."

"Who cares about that?" Tama replied, his anger rising every second.

"What about your own safety? Do you know how worse and painful it could have been? Don't forget that you are as human as it can possibly be. There are things that won't kill you, things much worse than death." Tama's rage was not only directed at the student, it also reminded him of his earliest misbehavior towards the girl. Now he knew how far the lust could have leaded him. Human race was weak, but they had rules meant to be respected.

"I don't care. Our goal is to help M. Dumbledore and in order to do so; we must stay in this school. This flesh is not that important Tama. You just told me that we can rebuild it if needs be. I know I could have ended up dead, but this is not the case. The slimy twit will learn that next time he decides to ambush me, he'd better kill me." A dangerous light sparkled in her eyes as she pronounced those last words. She knew that revenge wouldn't solve anything, but it felt good none the least.

"Tama, we need to act promptly. First, let's find your Head House and deal with her memories. Then, we must do the same with Professor Snape"

"I understand" He understood perfectly, but she didn't seem to understand a thing. She had probably skipped the part regarding human sexuality. Her childish mind would not have been able to live with such an awful memory. He also knew that invading her mind repeatedly could kill her. He might not be able to save her from living with this, and that type of scar just did not help focusing on important matters at hand. He would put sense in her before she gets trapped again, not that he wished for it, but Tama gradually had his conviction strengthen regarding the weakness of the flesh.

They moved out of their hiding place and made their way to McGonagall office.

"I will let you go in alone." Kyo said softy.

Tama knocked at the door and was answered by a noble voice.

"Get in."

"Good morning Professor. How are you?"

"Just fine thank you M. Shirei. I trust everything is to your satisfaction at Hogwarts. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Actually, there is. But before I begin, please forgive me."

"Why are you apologizing for?"

Tama did not answer, but instead, spoke the incantation sliding slowly insider her mind. He meant to be gentle. It didn't take long to finish up what he was sent for. He backed away to the door and released just before he closed it behind him. That way, she would have no recognition of this short meeting.

"Good job. Now, let's go meet Professor Snape. I will come with you inside his office."

When they were to open the door, they heard muffled voice.

"Do you intend on relying on others all your life?"

"No Sir, I…"

"You're a despicable, unworthy and useless boy. I remember your brothers far too well. Gryffindor they were. Why you were sorted in my House is still a mystery. You are as witless as the bunch of them. Take your homework, I will not review it. However, I am assigning you with another one. You will explain to me, and in details, the importance of the tyra-tears in the preparation of the Shrinking Potion. It has to be on my desk no later than this Friday."

"But Sir, it only gives me two days and I don't have a clue about this…"

"I will not accept any excuse whatsoever. Get out! And don't bother coming back before you're done with your assignment."

"Yes Sir"

Jonathan was on the verge of tears, but he did not want to give in right now. As he opened the door, he found himself face to face with Kyo and her brother. They shared confused glance, but nothing more. He ran off, not wanting to emphasize on this pathetic situation. He had thought that being a Slytherin would make the Snape's nightmare more bearable, but the harsh reality proved him wrong.

Kyo entered first, eyeing the teacher closely.

"Miss Shirei. How much longer did you intend to make me wait? Where is that cloak of yours?" He sneered, no more doubting that she had lied previously.

"Sorry Professor Snape, it would seem that I misplaced it. My brother here was helping me out. Have I introduced him to you?"

"What are you babbling about foolish girl?"

"Tama, please meet Professor Snape. He is my Head House as well as one of the most brilliant men in the whole school." She purposely went on, ignoring the man's protest.

Severus's eyes were sending out a dangerous message to the boy. If it would have been any other first year, they would have been long gone, running away as fast as possible. However, Tama had a goal to reach and he also wasn't your average young student. He knew this man already, but more then that, he loathed him deeply, just as much as the teacher did towards him, but not for the same reasons obviously. They were now equally sharing deadly stares.

Kyo followed the silence exchange, not sure what to do. She couldn't understand the teacher's reaction. Was he stubborn and thick enough to go on treating all other Houses students as if they were the worse living creature on earth?

"Tama, what are you doing?" She really sound annoyed and stressed.

"Sorry. Let's get on with this" he replied.

Without any warning, he invaded the man's mind, using as much power as allowed without killing the block. It instantly brought the teacher down on his knees, hands slapped on each side of his head and mouth twisted with pain. Snape had the impression of being surrounded by limitless spots of light that were consuming him from the inside.

Tama was exalting from this show of ultimate superiority over this worthless being. Erasing the memory would have taken few seconds; instead, he went spying on the man. He wanted to find the proof of his treacherous mind.

There stood a young Snape in front of a fireplace, his back turned to it, hair in curtains around his pallid face and wand held high. He screamed a spell at a man standing proudly but with trace of fear in his eyes. The man seemed vaguely familiar, Jua thought.

It switched again to the image of a little boy with pale skin, panting on the ground, the long and thin mold of his face covered with bruised mixed with tears. It got back to a teenaged version of Snape, kneeled in front of a woman. The scene was gruesome. The woman's limbs were twisted in positions impossible to achieve. She's dead Jua thought, but why is this bastard staring at her like that? Then he got glimpse of the man standing closely next to him, and again, Jua thought they shared familiar features. _His father?_

Before he could ponder on his viewing, the scenery changed. A bleeding, half naked Dunia was being held, tightly, by Snape. In is free hand, he held a dagger. Jua saw as he plunged it deep in his thigh, talking to her, probably as a display of power over her. _He's dead that piece of shit. How dare he threaten her?_ The image slowly faded away but Jua was still fuming over the impertinence of Snape. Dunia would have told him about such an obvious display of treachery. If this scene never occurred, it must simply be a dark fantasy of the man pervert mind. Still, this was enough to kill the bastard, but not now, Jua reasoned; he would find a more torturous way to finish him, slowly, oh yes, so slowly.

His decision made, he pursue the goal that his sister had told him, browsing again through the tangles of Snape's mind and found himself in a gathering of hooded figures.

This memory was different, somehow. It held strong emotions; anguish, disgust, fear and regrets. _As if that old git was able to feel any of these. I won't fall for his weakness, he must die. _Intrigued by the scenery though, Jua focused his power to descend into the memory itself. Gradually, he created a body out of fire, stepping into the open. A flicker of doubt passed in his eyes, then it disappeared as he reminded that this was just a memory; he could not alter it in any ways. The air around the group was still and nobody uttered a sound.

They were all kneeled with their nose in the dirt; facing what was the resemblance of a tall human, clothed in long dark robes, standing straight with arms fold. Jua finally identified the one he was interested in. Snape was also a member of this masquerade, face down like the others. However, on a command from the sitting man, he raised his head and faced him. Jua studied him closely standing only inches from his face, fire licking the man's feature leaving no trace of burn of course as it was only a memory. Snape's face was blank, although he sometime betrayed his emotions with a quick blink of his left eyes. He was still too young have complete control over himself. He is such a pitiful creature, if only I could finish him now. The boy's thought were interrupted by a sudden movement of his guinea pig.

A flash of green light went out from Snape's wand to a body lying in between the chief and the group. It convulsed once and lay still. Jua didn't need a closer look to understand that he had witness cold blood murder. He knew it; the man was and still is evil. What was Dunia seeing in this worthless creature?

A scream tore him out of his searched. He recognized the sound of his sister's voice. She was trying to get in contact with him. It reminded him of his goal and he went on looking for the memories that would need to be consumed. He found it. Snape was standing in front of McGonagall, his face fixed in an unreadable expression as she explained to him her late discovery. He wiped those out as well as his entrance to the office moment earlier and got out without releasing his control over him.

When he regained his senses, he saw his sister kneeling next to her teacher, trying to comfort him. The picture wasn't pretty in the least. Even though Tama had controlled the flow of energy, its power had been too much for Snape capacity. Huge amount of saliva was running down the man's chin and both eyes had rolled in their sockets.

"ARE YOU MAD? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM" she screamed, out of control. She had cast a silence spell soon after Tama had invaded the man's mind, just in case something went wrong.

He didn't know what to say to her. It was the teacher's entire fault. Why should she care about him so much? There must be plenty other saviors more worthy. Nevertheless, seeing Kyo in this position made his heart twitched with remorse. He loved her, she was brave and strong. Even back there, she would always act as his big sister although this concept was not exactly viewed the same way. She was probably the only being for which he ever cared though, except for their Mother of course.

Sighing deeply, he gave a nasty look at the shaken body. The man was probably going to die unless they find a way to bring him at the infirmary. What a mess!

"I'm sorry"

"YOU'RE SORRY?" she yelled unable to wash down the rage.

"HELL! HE ASKED FOR IT! HE'S A PERVERT, A MANIPULATOR, AND A MURDERER." He gulped for air before going on, lowering his voice in the process. "He's evil sister, can't you feel it?" He tried with all his will to regain some sort of composure, his voice filled with sadness more than anger.

"Leave the judgment of this man to me. I will not… I will never accept such behavior again. You will not attack him this way ever again." She was not Kyo anymore. The office was slowly filling itself with a thin mist. Her inner self was being release by her fury.

"Dunia, calm yourself, I mean it, I'm sorry." His voice became more and more anxious, seeing that she was not listening anymore. "Hear me Dunia, I'm sorry. Here I will release him completely, but we must go if I do so. Then we will send Mme Pomfrey." and to show his intention, he released Snape, hoping that he was passed out enough to miss this whole situation.

It would get ugly real fast is she did not regain control or if Snape became aware of what just transpired.

Tama could barely distinguish the silhouette of his sister, as the mist built up, getting thicker and enabling him to breathe properly. If someone had entered the room at this exact moment, that would be the end of their short masquerade. A painful moan saved both of them from disaster. Snape was regaining consciousness. It stroke to Kyo's mind that they had to be gone before he saw both of them. The mist vanished at once and Tama ran towards his sister, grapping her wrist and escorting her forcefully out of the office, still coughing as air came back suddenly into his lungs. Kyo cast a concealing charm on both of them as quick as possible.

As they ran, Kyo restored the bond between them, allowing telepathic thoughts.

"_We have to go straight to the infirmary_"

"_Damn it, our cover was almost blown up with him regaining consciousness_" Tama did not voice out the fact that he was impress on how quickly the Professor had came back from the void.

"_I know Tama, and all thanks to you, you brainless twit."_ She winced, knowing perfectly that it had been her fault as well. She knew how much Tama hated the man.

"_How are we going to explain this to the medic witch?"_

"_Leave it to me, he's my Head House after all. Just stay close in case we would need your Occlumency again" _

"_No problem"_ Actually, it was a problem, he felt drained out of energy. One more display and he would collapse on the floor.

They reached the nursery wing panting horribly. Kyo realized how exhausted Tama looked. She brought her hand to his forehead and spoke the Tongue of the Ancient. A faint glow passed through the siblings and Tama jolt up instantly, feeling refreshed.

"I told you I was okay" he grunted, touching his forehead with his hand.

Kyo looked at him and smiled compassionately.

"It's okay brother. Take it as a token of my gratitude. You helped me a lot today."

Tama blinked in disbelief. His childish heart filled with love and respect for his sister. For a fleeting moment, fear grasped him. They were both getting too soft. But it did not last long before his human personality got hold on his elemental logic.

"I won't need you for this Tama. You should return with your friends and enjoy a good meal. I will cut off the bond once again."

"No Kyo, don't cut the bond. What if something else happens to you?"

"Don't worry, I'll be careful from now on. Off you go now."

Tama shook his head, again surprised by the constant mood swings of his sister. Maybe she was learning how to control her childish heart. Until now, he had shown no difficulty, but with his sister in danger, he had lost every bit of control. He would become stronger, for her and for their mission.

"Alright then, take care and I'll see you later".

On this, he turned his back and walked away, surrounded with an aura of confidence.

Kyo watched her brother has he stroll down the corridor; she smiled again, proud of him somehow. Today, Tama had shown is ability to keep his mind in control except when it came to hatred. He should be able to overcome this obstacle. As for her, she would increase her study of the human mind. She would become stronger, for him and for their mission.

Resolved, she open the door leading to the infirmary.


	9. Kyo wants to play, please?

**Kyo wants to play, please?**

A pack of students were gathered in the common room of Slytherin. They talked all at once, arguing about Snape's visit at the infirmary. Draco was the most infuriated one. He was, of course, accusing Sirius Black. The news of this fugitive was on every pages of the Daily Prophet. As far as he was concern, Sirius could be roaming within the castle under the nose of Dumbledore. He could have attacked Snape any given time. Other students, on the other hand, thought that some other Houses students were the culprits, all odds pointing to Gryffindor or course. However, this theory was not possible, because there is no way in hell that Snape would have fell from any trick laid by this worthless House.

Kyo was sitting, reading in silence. Jonathan entered the common room at this moment.

"Hey Kyo, how are you? I heard you were the one who found Professor Snape." Jonathan wore an innocent look which made Kyo breath more easily.

"You may say so, yes" she had not intention in getting further into this situation. It was bad already that everybody knew she had been the one to warn Mme Pomfrey that something dangerous had befall the teacher. She was also scared the Jonathan would remember that dreadful day, two weeks ago. After all, he had seen her in front of the Professor's office that same day. Fortunately, he did not seem take this as a proof of her involvement, but the boy was not witless. One day or another, he would come up with this.

"Look, Mr. Lent, I really don't feel like discussing this matter. If you wish, there is that pack of wolves over there that seems ready to bite as soon as they found any culprit."

"Not really. I just assumed that you might feel like talking to someone about this. I mean, the rumours say that he was in a terrible condition." He said in an apologizing tone.

"I'm sorry Mr. Lent. I did not mean to sound harsh or anything." Kyo was getting better in recognizing the human's constant swirl of emotions. "I just don't feel like remembering that day. I was so worried about Professor Snape when I found him"

"I bet!" his eyes once again filled with genuine concerns toward his friend. Christmas was coming soon and yet, Kyo had not made any more friends. Oddly though, her roommates seemed to have become quite polite towards her. Even odder, was to see that older guy he had talked with, the one that gave him the letter, he was also showing respect and even greeted her whenever he would see her. He guessed that the party had really worked things out. But it did not explain the behaviour or that elder student. Kyo had never brought the subject during their numerous discussions and he never asked. She was the type of person, who will say what she thought necessary, leaving many aspects of her past hidden. He respected that.

"So, what are you reading?"

"A book of transfiguration I was given by Mr. Langley"

"You mean Sarah's brother? Did you know that he was the one who gave me that note back then?"

"Yes, actually I do. A fine gentleman he is. Always eager to share his knowledge with me." Something flashed in the eyes of Kyo, but Jonathan could not grasp its meaning.

"But, isn't it difficult to understand? I mean, this is a 5th year book"

"Not so bad really, the concepts are more detailed, but the whole idea is the same you know. Magic is magic, no matter the level of practice."

This girl was brilliant. Even if Kyo kept to herself, the words that spread about her were all coming down to the same; unbelievable. She was not just good; she was perfect in regards to magic handling. She has scored hundred percent in every single class and all the teachers, including the Headmaster were comparing her to that 3rd year girl, Hermione Granger. It was good for Hogwarts reputation. However, when it came to human relationship, she showed no sign of interest, except towards him.

"I wish I could grasp those concepts like you do, to be brilliant that you are. You will end up with the best jobs around."

Strangely, Kyo's met the boy's eyes and stayed fixed for a moment.

"Maybe you do wish to be like me. But hear this. I read once that in every success hides a deeper failure. I am well aware of the fact that everyone thinks I'm a bookworm, cold and snotty kid. So you see; I am far from being a model to follow, just like you, or like any other. You must thrive for you goals based on what you know about yourself. You must be aware of what you are, who you are; at all time."

Jonathan mouth dropped open. Kyo always succeeded in impressing him with her worlds of wisdom. It was so awkward to be talked this way by an eleven years old kid. Not that he was older then she was, but words like that normally come from elders.

"Thanks for the tip. You seem to know how a lot about human's evolution. We should have more talks about this, I would really enjoy it. Can I confess something to you?" his heart felt like it was going to explode, but the words were out before he could hold them.

"Sure, what is it?"

During her studies Kyo had skipped the part in regards to man and woman relationship. She did not know why, but the subject never interested her. Her brother had tried to talk to her about this, but she had cut him short, saying that this was way to complex and that he should concentrate in his studies. For God sakes, they were Elemental. She taught him how to study faster, using his inner self, but the twit had refuse, saying that it was much more enjoyable to read with all the lovely girls of his House.

_Imbecile! _She had thought for herself. What was so interesting about reading with students? It was only time consuming, plus the fact that child had a tendency to talk and cut your concentration by half. A waste of time! He had better finished his map of the hidden passageways and found more information about the school wards. That was his part of the job.

"Kyo? Were you listening?"

"Sorry? Oh Lord! Please accept my apologies Mr. Lent. If you don't mind, please say again."

"I said that you're the best friend I ever had. Thank you for taking the time to explain things to me like you always do."

Her heart squeezed, taking her by surprise. A wave of heat touched her face instantly. God, what is happening to me now? She touched her cheek, only to find them hot like a blazing fire. Her childish persona seemed to understand the situation perfectly, as she replied, like in a daze

"Thank you! This is so sweet of you. You are my best friend also!" she trailed off before falling on the ground.

"_What was that about?_"

"_The boy just paid you a compliment moron"_

"_Wait, who are you?"_

"_What do you mean who am I. I' am me silly girl." _

"_No, I'm me. I mean, my name is Kyo in this world, but I'm Dunia."_

"_Duh! Ding Dong, wake up call. I'm human, and human only has one persona, I am me."_

"_Wait a minute. Let's put light here. You cannot be me if I am me. You must logically be _

_someone else. So tell me your name"_

"_My name is Kyo."_

"_Good. Tell me your real name now."_

"_My name is Kyo, I just told you."_

"Kyo, Kyo, are you okay?" Jonathan had knelt next to the unconscious little silhouette.

"_Look, the boy is calling my name; I can't talk to you all day"_

"_But this is impossible."_

"_Whatever you say, if it makes you feel better; I'm bored and I want to play."_

"_Stop right now. Whoever you are, you will listen to me."_

"_Blah! Blah! Blah! _The voice giggled and went on. _You know we should get up before someone gets very worried."_

"_What do you mean get up?"_

"_Silly creature, can't you feel your own body?"_

Dunia stopped her argument to concentrate on her shell of flesh. She finally realized that it had lost consciousness and she had drifted inwardly, causing to meet with, whoever that voice claimed to be.

"_What do you mean whoever? I am Kyo"_

" _Shut up"_

"_Tra la la la la laaaa"_

"_Shut UP!"_

"_See you, I'm waking up now."_

"Jonathan? Is that you?"

The boy was taken by surprise as the girl spoke his name freely for the first time.

"Yes…Yes it's me, are you hurt?"

"Not at all; actually…" she took a deep breathe, as if it was for the first time "Actually, I'm feeling more than okay."

"Well, I'm relieved to hear that. I hope I did not scare you with what I said earlier. I am not expecting you to be my best friend in any way. I just felt like telling you."

Kyo giggled and touch his hands.

"But I see you as my best friend also Jonathan." She grinned at him adding a amused wing.

Jonathan hands retreated slowly from hers. Something was very odd. She might have used his name and tell him her heart's feeling, but to actually grin and wink was not Kyo at all.

"Kyo, tell me again, are you sure you are okay"

"I'm fine. Trust me. I just got a moment of weakness. I have not been sleeping enough lately. I study too much" again, winking at him and giggling.

God, she's acting like a normal first year girl. Somehow, it pleased him, reassured that she was a normal human being after all. Maybe his confession had unblocked something inside her. She might now understand that she's no longer alone.

Without knowing it, Jonathan had effectively pinpointed the truth. Kyo was no longer alone, but she would insure to keep that other annoying brat in the dept of her mind. It was time to have fun, after this severe diet of pleasure.

Her potion class would start soon. She ran as fast as she could. Playing in the snow had been so much fun, but she had forgotten her schedule. Bah! The teacher is an ass anyway. Ugly old bat! She had like how the Gryffindor used that nickname for the Potion master. She laughed as she ran towards the dungeons.

She made a noticeable entrance. Her garments were half wet and loosely arranged. Her hair was a mess, even short as they were, but the two threads were sticking on her face due to the accumulation of water in them. Nonetheless, she walked in as if owning the place, taking her time to choose her sit.

"Ms. Shirei! You will not stay in this class ragged like that. You may turn back and meet me at the end of class for your detention." said Snape in a smooth tone, as soon as he saw sat down.

Sighing deeply, Kyo looked around, ignoring impudently the teacher's command.

"I said, Get out!" anger flaring up in the teacher's heart.

"Why should I leave? I arrived on time, and I have not been disturbing any one. Haven't you ever play in the snow where you were young? This is so much fun, as soon as this class finishes I'm so going back outside."

The room felt silence at once, all eyes directed to Kyo. _What's wrong with those weaklings? Can't they see that this man is not that impressive after all?_

The not so impressive man stood up from his chair and reached Kyo's desk in three swift strides, standing tall, and towering her frail body.

"You can either get out by yourself or I'll trail you all the way back your common room."

At everyone disbelief, she seems to ponder which of the two choices would be the wisest. Of course, she chose the worse one.

"You may trail me I guess. I'm a bit tired actually."

All the students gawked. It was obvious that Snape could not let such directed insult go unpunished. His jaw tightened and he could have puked when he pronounced the dreadful words.

"Ten points from Slytherin, and detention for the remaining of the month."

"Alright!" she replied as if she could have refused his sentence. "Are you going to trail me out now? Because you're class should have started two minutes ago."

Snape's face turned whiter than it already was, his nostrils dilating from the anger. He grabbed the girl by her wet cloak and brought her up, his face inches from her. She did not flinched in the least; instead she was closed to let out a yawn before she caught the head movement of her friend Jonathan, silently warning her not to make the matter any worse.

"If you think that your perfect scores allows you to act as you please, you are sadly mistaking. You are expelled from my class for the remaining of the year. I don't want to see as much as your nose in my class, for any reason, is that clear?"

"Yeaaaah and talking about nose…"but she was cut short in her comment.

"Three months of detention and another ten points from Slytherin. You will say, Yes Professor Snape and learn to speak with respect." emphasizing on the last word.

"Look I could not care less about this idiotic contest between Houses. We have not reached half the year yet and Gryffindor is leading way above all the others. This is obvious that this attribution of points is completely subjective." And as if she just remembered the teacher's last word she added, not so quickly though. "Professor Snape"

Snape found himself unable to reply to this comment, knowing perfectly enough that she was right. She was of course, pointing out the fact that Gryffindor was only blessed because of the annoying Harry Potter.

"Dumbledore will hear about your recent misbehavior. I don't know what got into you, but until now, I was willing to admit that were acceptable enough as a student, but lately, I'm just waiting for one more false step before expelling you from this school."

Alarmed rang inside Kyo's mind. Something told her that she should not get herself expelled. Her mouth open, controlled by an unknown force.

"I am terribly sorry Professor Snape. I really can't tell what had gotten into me. I beg of you, do not expel me, I can't…I mean, I don't want to be expelled."

Snape's eyes were fixed on the girl and he noticed as her gaze flickered for a moment. _Is this girl suffering of a double personality_? She was brilliant, and as he said before, her behavior so far, had been flawless. He frowned slightly; he could use his Occlumency, but now was not the time.

"If you get out now, I might give you more than another chance, but at the moment you better not show yourself to me for the remaining of the day."

"Yes Professor Snape" the girl said, genuinely closed to tears.

He released her and watched as she almost ran out of the class, not taking the time to close the door.

Something was wrong with that girl.

"_You witless bitch, If you thought to keep me at bay much longer, think again."_ said Dunia in the girl's head.

"_Well, I did succeed to have you leashed for nearly a full month. Christmas is coming soon. You know about that day right?"_

"_What I know is not of your business."_

"_HA! I knew it, you are totally clueless. I wonder how you managed to hold on your masquerade so long with so few knowledge of this world."_

"_Every day is the same to me. If human needs Religion to fill up their boring life, this is of no consequence to me. Now listen well. All this time, where you thought I was under your command, I took it to understand things through."_

"_Oh la! I am impressed" _the voice drawled in her mind

"_Oh, but you should be. As you said, you are Kyo, I won't deny it. You were created from those months of I performed day after day about human behavior. All you know is what I know, except that you have an advantage. You think like those weaklings and it allows you to blend with them."_

"_Is that all? Because I'm bored already, Kyo wants to play, please?"_ but the voice didn't sound like pleading.

"_I'm far from being done. Now that I know about your creation, I can control you and use you as I see fit. I proved it to you earlier with the teacher. You showed me how self-centered a human can be but I wanted to know at what extent. Hear my plan and keep quiet."_

To her dismay, the girl could not utter any more thoughts. She stayed immobile, in the middle of the corridors, forced to listen as voice spoke the plan in her head. God, she could have wept.

"Mr. Lent, can I talk to you please?"

The boy lifted his head, unable to admit that the voice belonged to who he thought it was.

But his eyes confirmed his worries as he met hers. That was too much for him. It has been two weeks since her display with Snape and she had not been talking to him since.

"Kyo, I am worried about you, what is going on?"

"Listen, lately I was not…myself. I was probably tired from all this study and lack of sleep. Anyhow, I'm back on track and for good. I just wanted to thank you for not letting me down during that time."

She offered her hand, and waited for him to take it. He hesitated for a moment, but finally joined his with hers, and shook it.

"We are best friends right?" Kyo asked, with a bit of uncertainty. She hoped it sounded true. Actually, she wanted it as much as she denied it. Having friends was not that bad after all.

"Yes, we are, definitely." As if nothing happened, Jonathan launch into an idle conversation. Human can be surprising sometimes, she thought, or it might also be that they're too easy to control.

"You know, you are amazing. To hold up to Snape like you did. But again, I am happy that you realized how pointless it is. You need to be careful, especially with him."

"As I said, no worries, it won't happen again. Now, the only problem is I have been banned from his class for the rest of the year. That does not do well on my reputation now does it?"

The boy blinked, bewildered. Since when did she care about something like that?

"You are right. But I don't know how you can fix that mess. Maybe if you talk to Dumbledore it could ease the situation. Then again, Snape is known for his persistence and ego. He will not have you back in class after pronouncing this sentence in front of so many students."

"I know." She sighed. "I don't really need to assist those classes, but I really want to right the wrongs."

"Well, you might want to try talking to him during your next detention." He hated to point this out to her, but it was the only thing he could think of. For Merlin Sake, the girl had received three months of detention and hadn't blinked at all.

"Yes…yeah, this is a good idea. Thanks Mr. Lent"

"Look, if you really want to thank me, could you please make an effort to call me Jonathan again, like you did during those past weeks?"

Kyo smiled knowingly and nodded. She would have to start acting more like a kid, and the one in her head would help her achieve that goal.

"Sorry about that Jonathan. Alright, let's go to the library, I'll help you with that homework."

"How do you know I need help?"

"You've been working on the same question since yesterday." She replied mockingly, not without adding a friendly wink.

The boy grinned and followed her to the library, happy that she was back to her normal self.

Kyo pushed open the door to the teacher's office. Silently, she a pile of papers and a vial waiting for her on the desk started her work without as much as a glance at the man standing in front of his cauldron.

Her detention turned out to be correcting the other student's potions. It was really annoying, not to mentioned the waste of time. She had began to read about the man they were suppose to fight, if need be, and it was fascinating. Sure, the guy was a freak, but she could not deny the length of his knowledge. The books about Voldemort were of course, tainted by the opinion of the writers, but the facts repeated themselves books after books.

With a sigh, she started at one of the vial. _Yeurk! _The greenish liquid inside was still bubbling, as if alive. No way in hell was she to open that one. He was a fail for sure. Tossing it away, she retrieved the parchment matching up with the name on the vial. Trisha Johns. Kyo was not surprised, but had also no intention of helping her roommate. Thinking about her suddenly brought back memories and she could not suppress a faint laugh.

"I gather that you are enjoying your detention. Maybe you wish to have me add more months?"

"I am sorry Professor Snape. I did not mean to disturb." she was happy that her laugh had started a resemblance of discussion. Now was the time to explain her earliest behavior.

"Could I talk to you Professor?"

"Are you not doing it already?" he drawled in his usual low voice. At least he was not mad, yet.

"I wish to discuss…I mean, apologize for the other day."

"Ms. Shirei, your detention should serve as a silent confirmation of your repentance."

Alright, she was not aiming well, not want me; but it had to be done.

"This is correct, but there is something I need you to understand."

"There is nothing you need me to do, to listen to, or to understand for that matter. I am the judge of your misbehavior. You go back to your work or I will add another month."

Kyo was in no way afraid of the man, but more detention meant less time to study her future enemy. The hint of a headache was building up inside her head. It seemed to happen a lot lately. It was nothing that kept her from her work, but it was just strong enough to unable her to ignore it.

"I understand Sir" she replied, not wanting to fight with the block especially with the beginning of the headache.

Snape had not even turned towards her during the whole exchange. _That man is worse than a kid._ Was it possible that adults were actually huge kids? Maybe this whole concept of baby, kid, teenagers, adult and elders was not actually true for this species? She would think about this later.

She had to finish correcting all the students' homework, and then wash all the dirty cauldrons, without her wand of course and under the tight supervision of Mr. Nightmare.

She smiled; following her inward speech with the girl in her head, she had concluded that her behavior was not to be banned completely. Instead, she started using some of her expression in the open and she found out that people were slowly attracted to her. It had brought a new perception to Dunia. She would have better access to learn how to control the human mind. The girlish soul had is limits however. She could get excited, happy, sad, angry, snotty and more, but she based all her emotions from what Kyo had studied. Dunia's personality was using her only when it was useful.

Somehow, all the concepts she had learned had created a soul apart from her Elemental one. Fortunately, she had gain complete control over this new personality.

She wondered if Tama had discovered the same thing. Then again, he was much more knowledgeable when it came to controlling the mind of this specie, so he probably did not have to go through a situation like this.

She sighed inwardly and went back to work. Her eyes fell on Ms. John's vial once again, but this time she only smiled, wickedly. Vengeance had felt so good, although she promised herself not to get used to it. She had waited two weeks after regaining her memories. Wanting to give them a feeling of security, then she had struck and taught them a lesson they had not yet forgotten. Her brother had asked to help her out with this, and she had accepted. After all, they had been three when they attacked, so two was simply playing fair.

She had caught them laughing not too far from the greenhouse. Sarah's brother was with the group as well. It was as if they were waiting for her revenge, regrouped like that, so easy to crush.

They did not hear her come nearer, because Kyo was actually floating slightly above the ground, using a levitation spell. Before joining them, she had given a last glanced around, to insure that nobody would witness this little encounter. Then, she had restored the bond long enough to call her brother. They both knew what the plan was in case a good opportunity showed up. Finally, that day had come.

They were about to part when they saw her, standing so close that it was almost impossible to have missed her.

"What do you want?" The boy tried to look undisturbed, but his voice betrayed him.

"Why, isn't it my school as well? I can be anywhere, almost anytime I wish to. Let's say I'd wish to take a walk towards the Forbidden Forest, I would have no restriction to do so, unless I enter it, which is not going to happen of course. I am, after all, just a first year student."

"What do you mean by this? Look, it's none of my business anyway, I'm leaving"

"None of your business you say? I would think that it would be interesting to talk about our party. After all, you did had a blast didn't you, Mr. Langley!"

The boy went for his wand, but Kyo did not feel threatened. Instead, she blocked his movement, grabbing the boy's wand herself. As expected, the three girls were too scared to act at all.

"Give me back my wand"

"No. I don't want to." She played with it, unconcerned, wand joggling between her fingers. She went on with her plan.

"I have a great idea. I learned some trick this morning and I have not been able to practice it yet. Would you like me to show you?"

"Buzz off you twit."

"I'll take that as a yes."

But before she could went on, the boy threw himself at her. Kyo had absolutely no problem to apprehend the boy's arms and, using his own strength she sent him crashing on the hard ground, frozen by the coming winter. Snow had not yet piled up, but the trees were already naked and the ground had turned hard with the harsh weather.

The last time, she had been stunned and had to rely on her instinct, but today was different. She was fully in control of her body and ready to get on with her vengeful plan. Tama did not take long to arrive, but without letting the other aware of his presence. With the bond, however, she felt him very close, and stopped herself from glancing towards the greenhouses, as he had chose it for his hideout.

Kyo held her wand towards the group and started to spoke as if joking around. She waved her wand ridiculously.

"This is nonsense" the boy said, slowly gathering himself from the fall. "You are not even using a real spell"

But as his finished his sentence, fire seemed to jolt from her wand and encircled them, just far enough to insure that would get burned. The girls started crying at once, begging for her to stop. The boy would be tougher to break though. He started at her, the flames we low enough to them to jump over it. But fear of getting burned was a barrier greater than the fire itself.

"Why are you glaring at me like that? You know you could jump out of this circle very easily."

Langley boy stepped forward, his ego touched. But as he raised his feet, the flames suddenly grew taller and he backed off, this time, unable to hide the panic from his eyes.

"You'll get expelled for that. I'll tell the Headmaster."

Kyo raised an eyebrow, and smiled softly.

"Don't worry; I'll use an obliviate potion, like you did."

"Bitch!" he shouted

"Careful Langley, mind your speech."

"I was not there when they attacked you; I swear I did not want them to do it, but…"

"Trisha, my sweet, you will have to get a brain of your own if you do not wish to end up like a worthless followers of a pack of idiots."

Now was the time to give them their real fright. Waving her wand once again, she spoke some meaningless words together. This time, the whole group was on their guard, fearing what would come next.

The circle of flames grew stronger and wilder, slowly closing the wall around the group, getting higher as it moved towards them. The brother held the three crying girls around him as close as he could, his eyes wide with distress. With their attention focused on the flame, Kyo summoned a thin layer of water around the group, protecting them from her brother's fire. None of them realized any of this though, thinking that they would be scarred for life.

Before raising her wand again, she spoke to the group.

"If you have something to say, better do it now. After that, the flame will start licking your body, melting is just enough for the three of you to survive. After that, I will personally force the obliviate potion in each of you. You will never know how you became disfigured, but you'll still have to live with it. Aren't you happy? It could have been worse. I mean, you could have been expelled if I had decided to tell the whole story to the Headmaster, but no, I am sparing you of this ultimate shame. Who cares about the look anyway, the mind is stronger, so you'll survive. Ugly and alone, rejected by all, but you'll survive."

This time, the boy pleaded the first, tears running down his cheeks, his eyes no longer holding trace of anger or hatred. Kyo faked to back down, wanting to see the reassured glanced, and once all four were smiling, eager to be freed, she lifted her arms. This was the signal for Tama. Instantly, the wall of flames closed on itself, trapping the four students inside a ball of fire.

Their screams could be heard faintly; Kyo did not want to be caught, but she had needed that revenge, she had craved for it. She folded her arms as she listened to their terror. Fifteen minutes should be long enough; she did not wish for them to lose their sanity. But after five minutes she could not hear anything at all. She signaled her brother to lower the wall. All four had fainted out of fear, not to mention the boy's wet pants. Kyo could not hold herself from laughing.

Tama left his hideout and approached the group.

"Sister, you know you can be scary when you want to."

"Not at all, this was child's play. I wanted them to feel trapped and helpless, just like that time. But using the Petrificus Totalus spell would not have been as much fun."

Tama smiled knowingly.

"Alright, let me complete our plan."

"Yes, rid their mind of the memory of the circle, but do not consume the emotions of fear and eagerness. I want them to feel like that every time they look at me. With people like them, compassion and talks just won't work."

"That's good with me."

Kyo was now cleaning the cauldron, but this time, she was doing it with a huge smile on her face, fighting strongly not to burst in laughter. Oh yes, they had been eager to help and fearing her dissatisfaction. Revenge! It felt amazingly good. However, she hoped never act this way again.

She finished her task after two hours of scrubbing those dirty cauldrons. She was about to leave and the teacher halted her retreat.

"Ms. Shirei, there is something I wish to experiment."

"Professor Snape?"

"Stand in front of me and do not move. Keep your eyes fixed on mine."

"Not that I wish to disobey you, but would do be so kind to explain what will happen?"

"I wish to confirm some doubts I have" he said curtly.

She frowned slightly, wondering what he intended to do, when the obvious finally touched her mind. She had read about this of course. He was going to use his Occlumency on her. Wasn't it against the school's law?

"Professor, I thought that you were not supposed to use this spell on any student, whatever the reason."

"I see that you are well informed. But it so happens that I have a good reason to indulge you with that spell. How do you explain that a quiet student like you suddenly become worse than the Potter's trio in less than a month? Then, for unknown reason, you are back your old self."

If she refused, he would suspect her of having a personality problem or wishing to hide something. But if she indulged him, he could discover her inner self. Either way, she was trapped. That man was insufferable.

"If you suffer from a double personality syndrome, it would be best to cure it as fast as possible. Who knows what trouble you could cause when controlled by this witless brat, especially with all the bad news we hear day after day."

She felt insulted, even if it was not directed towards her entirely. That little girl' soul was still a part of her.

"I am in my right to refuse your request. I will not be subjected to your mind wandering."

"Is that so? Do you have something to hide then? Maybe an action related to my 'incident' last month. Mme Pomfrey told me that you were the one to find me in my classroom. But if I remember correctly, you did not have potion class that day. So what were you doing in my office?"

Damn, with his memory gone, he also forgot the part when he asked her to fetch her cloak. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and the headache, which had been only a whisper, was fighting its way to crush Kyo's concentration. She had no choice now.

She placed herself in front of the teacher, emptying her mind in the process, as much as her headache allowed her to. Based on Tama's lecture about mind wandering, the idea was to bring forth any unsuspicious memories to hide the others. But the 'victim' had to hold on to those memories as strongly as possible, to unable the caster to slip through an opening.

Snape peered into her eyes, slightly disconcerted by their deepness. The dark blue eyes of Kyo were intriguing; the color appeared like swirling slowly, creating a movement like the surface of the sea. When did he think about someone's eyes like that? He could not remember. Pushing this thought aside, he insured that she was not going to run away at the first attempt.

"Legiliment" he shouted, enough to insufflate a good amount of power.

To his surprise, nothing happened. She did not try to block him, but the spell just did not got through to her.

Kyo was more than relieved, but she could not show it to the teacher. Instead, she did not move, as if waiting for the teacher to try again.

"What did you do? How can you block my spell without doing it purposely?"

"I am as clueless as you are Professor Snape."

His mouth twitched, failure always sickened him. "I will try once again, and I forbid any trick of some sort. Actually, turn out your pocket. You might be hidden some artifact full of dark magic."

She stopped herself from laughing. She used the excuse of searching in her garment to hide head feature and smile at the professor's anger. He knew something was wrong, but he did not really believe that she would possess any object strong enough to block as spell as powerful. As funny as it was though, she wondered how come he was not able to pass through her mind.

When she certified that she was free of any kind of artifact, and after putting her wand on a desk near her, he went on with a second tentative and again, it failed.

Snape could not believe it. This girl would be a dangerous tool if she was to fell in the wrong hands. Was she immune to other spells as well?

"You may leave. I will have a word with the Headmaster. You are the first witch ever to successfully evade this spell. And trust me; I am a master in this art."

"Yes Professor. I will see you tomorrow night then."

She left, her heart leaping with joy. No matter what was blocking his spell, it was probably the greatest news of the day. She had read that Voldemort was also fond of this spell.

She whistled as she made her way to the common room which startled her for moment, but she quickly winked at herself, and kept walking. Everything was under control at last.


	10. A gift from a friend

**A gift from a friend**

As Christmas approaches, Kyo watched with amazement the changes of behavior in the people surrounding her.

Everyone was very excited, talking about what they would offer to either their friends or parents. Of course, what she knew about that day was more related to the religious meaning of it; which is why she missed the point when Jonathan came up with unusual question while they were studying Charm in the common room.

"Kyo, what is your favorite color?"

"Favorite?"

"Yeah you know, a color which makes you happy."

_Color can make people happy?_ Now that was something new she thought. Closing her eyes for a moment, she reached out to the childish soul within herself, annoyed by her own ignorance.

"_Wake up little girl."_ Dunia said softly.

"_Aaaaah! Can we play now?"_

"_Of course, I have a funny question for. Tell me, what is your favorite color?"_

"_I guess…I like yellow, but then, green is really nice too. Oh but, wait, blue is so exquisite, you know, like the sky. And red is very noble, rich."_

Holding back an annoyed sigh, she waited until the girl was done with her babbling.

"_So which one do you prefer?"_

"_I'll go for blue, dark blue." _

"I like dark blue" Kyo replied.

"Wow, so do I." Jonathan was surprised. Then, his cheek turned to a bright red. Kyo's eyes were dark blue.

"Well that's good then. But why are you asking me this now?"

The boy coughed, as if strangled by his own breath.

"No…no reason really. Just asking."

"Alright, let's continue with the next question."

Tama was finally satisfied. He had explored all the secret passageways.

His map folded under his arm, he made his way back to the Gryffindor common room in a slow pace. As he stepped inside, ready to go and relax in his dormitory, a boy called at him.

"Hey Tama, what's up?"

"Nothing much Jason, I was actually wondering what to do. Everybody is overly excited about that day coming up. You know, Christmas."

"What? You have never celebrated Christmas?"

"No, not that I remember." He said catching up fast, adding that his family was not traditional in that way.

"We do not celebrate our birthdays either."

The boy gapped in surprise.

"So, you never received gift, you whole life!"

"No." Tama turned his face, roaming his glance about the common room, his heart stroked by a sudden sadness.

Seeing the embarrassment of his friend, the boy did not probe him anymore on that subject. He also knew, from his recent speech with the Gryffindor girls, that Tama was in for a surprise. The lucky bastard, I wish I could have some of them think of me like they do about him. He grinned despite his jealousy. Tama was actually a good guy and deserved this attention. He was always helpful, polite and well mannered.

"So, what are you going to do for the holiday then? Are you going back to Japan?" he asked, hoping to bring Tama back to his casual self.

"No, nobody is waiting for us over there. Both my parents are to busy. They have to manage so many shops, restaurants, mail center and banks. What about you?"

As Tama spoke, Jason's jaw dropped from many inches. Tama had never let out the fact that his parents were businessmen. He had heard rumors about the siblings' wealth, and Tama had just confirmed them. Some people were just born at the right place at the right time.

"My brothers and I are visiting relatives in America."

"Is that so? You lucky bastard." Tama said, repeating the boy's last thought. It had seemed friendly, and it would not hurt to look humble towards his friend. "Traveling is so much fun."

As expected, the boy grinned, somehow feeling proud and important.

"Yeah, I know. I can't wait." Jason paused a moment and went on as he remembered what he had wanted to say at the first place.

"Hey, did you see the Christmas tree? It looks amazing."

"Sure, I'll be right back. Let me put my things in the dorm."

Tama climbed the stairs three by three, and threw his things on his bed. As he turned to exit the room, he remembered about the map and with his wand, he moved it under his bed.

His friend had not lied. The tree was impressive, with its decorations handling on every branch. It was shining as if on fire. He wondered if Kyo had enjoyed the view like he did. It has been a while since they talked to each other and he missed her.

The tables were filled with a humongous amount of sweets of every kind. But these were not attracting him though. He still remembered that terrible stomachache he had after eating them on Halloween. Human had funny ways to distract themselves.

During Christmas, not only did people eat all type of unhealthy foods, but they also had to find gifts and give them to people. Apparently, girls were to send him something. If he could find out how many of them would give him one, he would know how many he should prepare as proof of if his appreciation. Closing his eyes for the moment, he considered how long it would take probe all their minds. Was it really worth it? His childish heart quickly gave him the answer by sending a spark of warmth which could only be taken as a yes.

Excusing himself politely, he strolled towards the Gryffindor table where a bunch of girls were chatting joyfully.

"Ladies, how are you on this fine morning?"

They giggled, pink spots appearing on their cheeks, some hiding their face, as if to conceal their sudden uncontrolled revelation.

"We are okay Tama, and you?" waving her head, sending back her magnificent red mane she had been gifted with, Alexia greeted him adding one of her breathtaking smile.

"Could not be better, may I join you for a moment?" never leaving her gaze, he could see, without the use of his Occlumency that she was ready to win him over all his fans.

"Of course you can. So, where are you going for the holiday?" Julia, another Gryffindor, pretty, with those short light-brown hairs circling her delicate figure, slid on the bench, expecting him to sit by her side, which he did.

"No where, I am staying put. My family is too busy and won't have time to receive us this year."

"Oh, that's really sad. At least you'll have your sister." That last bit was forcefully added.

Tama could not help being concerned about Kyo's reputation. Since the beginning of the year, he had befriended with many students in every House, even with Slytherins, girls of course. As for Kyo, she had succeeded in increasing the amount of people around her, but not that much. If she wanted to learn how to control the human mind, she would need more than a few around her, he thought, frowning slightly.

"That's true, family ties are really important."

Tama had completed his screening of the group, confirming that every last one of them was to gift him with something. He did not go as far as to know their nature. God, Jason had been right, I am a lucky bastard. He grinned and added some funny comments, which were replied by bursts of laughter, and then he left the Great Hall. He spotted two first years, but he did not have to stop by them. As soon as they saw him, their minds had told him to add two more gifts to the list.

He walked for about an hour, scanning their minds without seeming to be. When he came back to the common room, he was amazed by the amount of presents he would need to find. Fifty gifts! He had a lot of work to do and there was only four days left.

Two days before Christmas, Kyo had been tipped on the basic of its ritual, thanks to Professor McGonagall. Their Transfiguration class had been spent in creating various tiny objects they wished to offer. Being first years, it was the best they could achieve. Of course, Kyo could have created something bigger, but she decided not to bring anymore curious glares on herself, especially after that display of ignorance in front of the entire class. Exhaling strongly, she could not forget the yelps and bulging eyes of her comrades. Fortunately, the professor had been kind enough to hide her disbelief when explaining the usual pattern on Christmas day.

Sitting alone in her dormitory, she was thinking about what she could offer and to whom. Her list turned out to be very short, but she did not care. It only meant less trouble finding out what would please them.

Maybe the books in the library would give her ideas. She stood up, determined to do the best she could in such a sort period of time. As she reached the library, she saw Jonathan talking with a first year girl. He was playing with his fingers, as if enervate about a comment the girl had said. Without stopping to inquire on the matter, Kyo entered the library and went straight to the pedestal on which a gigantesque stood straight up, held by constant magic. Taking her wand out, she waved at the book, thinking about the subject that interested her. Instantly, the book opened, page flapping furiously until they finally came to a stopper. Satisfied, she peered in it and found out that there were many books on the matter.

She walked toward the indicated rows and scroll down the titles. _The book of Wizardry gifts_, _Christmas amongst wizards_,_ Rare gifts_, _How to create the perfect gift_. She took two books and chose a table, sitting alone as usual.

Already short on time, she flipped through it with the help of her inner self, posing from time to time to let the little girl guide her. Fifteen minutes later, she knew exactly what to prepare in order to make the best gifts.

Students were packing for their departure. Parents were waiting outside for their sons and daughters, ready to hit the road, or more precisely, to hit the sky.

Kyo was staring from the window of her common room, filled with a mix of emotions that went from sadness to fear, from joy to pain. Why was she unable to go to him? She had worked on it, tying it with a delicate dark blue velvet ribbon. She knew he was looking for her right at this moment, but she would not leave her room.

When she heard a faint knock at the door, she went still, wishing that the person would leave, thinking that no one would be staying in their dormitory at this time of gift exchange.

Yesterday and the day before, she had run all across the castle to get the ingredients she had needed for the creation of the items that were now laid on her bed. Still, she refused to go out, trapped behind the veil of doubts, scared that they would enjoy what she had prepared for them. She knew it was stupid and very childish, but she could not help it. By giving in the atmosphere around, she had unconsciously unleashed a part of the girl's soul, tainting her inner self in the process.

"Kyo, I know you're there and you should come out before everybody leaves" it was Trisha talking to her. Since their encounter near the greenhouse, her roommates had acted differently around her. At first, it had been from fear and eagerness to please, but Kyo found out that respect and friendship slowly grew in their heart, annihilating their fear, but for the best. _You could always count on the display of power to bring forth submissive behavior from the weak, _she thought, not pleased by this logic, but accepting it as it was. The wave of emotions was flushed to be replaced by disgust and anger.

"Leave me alone Trisha, I am not coming out of this room until they are gone."

"Don't be foolish and unlock the door." The girl insisted, talking as if she was one of the teacher, giving a lesson to a stubborn student.

Kyo remained quiet, wishing for the girl to leave her in peace. She hoped that the girl would not figure out that a simple _Alohamora_ spell would be enough to barge in. As if Trisha had read her mind, she heard the spell and the door opened.

The girl walked carefully towards the sitting figure in front of the window. Without a word, she took an item from the bed and brought it to up to her roommate.

"Kyo, you have great talent and I am sure that he will love it more than anything else."

Annoying brat Kyo thought. Actually, she was angry to have her emotion being read so easily.

"When you are done lecturing me, maybe you will leave me alone, yes?"

"I won't. Look, I don't understand what got into you, but I saw you those past two days, putting all your effort in creating those. You were smiling, for what had seemed an eternity. It was great to see you focused on something that pleased you. I know that you put all your heart into those, so don't let that work go to waste. Don't let your kindness go to waste over a doubting heart."

They met eyes for eyes, but Kyo could not refrain from blinking, amazed by the sudden boldness of her friend. Standing up slowly, she took the folded parchment from the girl's hands and held it gently; her eyes contemplating her achievement. As much as it infuriated her, the girl was right; she was sulking for no reason. Smiling softly, she looked at the girl, this time showing up her gratitude. With a quick bow, she hurried out of the Slytherin common room, hoping that she would not be too late.

"Are you ready Jonathan? You have been standing next to the carriage for over an hour. We must leave if we want to reach the port key and be home early. There is still a lot to do for tonight's reception." Carla, a slender woman, with delicate features was addressing her son for the fifth time now. This time, her tone was exacerbating from the stubbornness of her son.

He said he was waiting for someone, but if that person was suppose to meet him, she or he would have done so a while ago. All students were leaving and most of the gift exchanged had been done. But as she saw the package in Jonathan's shaking hands, she knew how important it meant for him. He was a proud boy, but, although his eyes held confidence, she could feel the uncertainty slowly taking a hold on his heart.

"I…" he started to say, fighting every bit not to let the sadness engulfed him. "I guess we should go. I am sorry to make you wait." and turning towards her with a forced smile, he added a comment that he hoped would help him out forget about this impression of unfulfilled desire gripping his heart tightly.

"Dad won't be happy to manage alone with all the chores."

They both climbed in the carriage and the lackey waved his wand towards the horses, sending them a slight tug on their rears. They began to trotter towards the school gate.

Kyo was now running, holding her precious gift in her hands. She passed a group of students and sent their cloaks in the air as she brushed them slightly. Normally, she would have stopped to bow in apology, but her mind was set, she had to reach him, wanted to talk to him.

Tama who had been part of the group, smiled as she scurried out, not taking time to salute him. For the first time, since their last adventure, she was making a display of any normal girl of her age. He was reassured, knowing that she was now in the learning to deal with her new persona, allowing her inner self and the girl to blend as one. Soon, she would be able to decipher completely one from the other and really use it to its advantage. He had been aware of the silent battle she was involved with those past two months. He had known that she had kept the girl's soul on a leash, but that was not the efficient way to gain knowledge about her.

From time to time, it was necessary to study their human soul and determine each change of its emotive and physical side. Again he smiled and turned, holding his hands to the girl on his side, thanking her for giving him such a well ornate present.

"Mom, we must stop." Jonathan insisted as he saw the small silhouette running towards him. This time, it was her, it had to be.

"Darling, you have been saying that since the carriage had been in movement. I indulged in your request, but this time I won't." and opening the small window that allowed direct contact with the lackey, she told him to continue, increasing the pace as they were already late.

"Jonathan!" screamed a girl, still running towards the carriage. "Wait, I want to talk to you."

Her voice was not carried far enough. Desperate, she took her wand out and pointed it at her throat like the Headmaster did when he wants everyone's attention. Not certain that it would work, since she had uttered no spell, she screamed out again, backing up from the intensity of her words as they left her mouth.

"JONATHAN, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU!" the sentence reverberated all around Hogwarts' ground and this time, it did not missed the ears of the young boy.

Leaping with joy, he turned to face his mother, which was rolling her eyes, an amused smile on her lips.

"Tracy, please bring the horses to a halt. My son needs to do one more thing before we leave."

"At your service Madame" the woman replied, waving her wand once again.

Jonathan jumped out of the carriage before it halted completely. Kyo reached him, smiling broadly. He watched as kept running, her threads flying side to side of her perfectly oval shaped figure, her dark blue eyes glittering with excitement and joy. How could people think her as being average he wondered? To him, she was the most beautiful girl he had seen, and with that, you could add an enlightened and well disciplined mind.

Without showing any signs of exhaustion, Kyo reached him. They stayed silent for a while, not knowing how to share their emotions. Then without a word, she held a gift to him, staring straight into his eyes.

He took it with his free hand, smiling as a meaning of gratitude. Following her gesture, he presented her with his wrapped package. They stared at each other, still in complete loss of words to say. Abruptly, Kyo broke the silence.

"You must not open in before you reach the gates, promise?"

"Promise; as for you, you can open it as you walk back towards the school, it will turned out to be useful." he winked as he finished his sentence.

"Well…" she coughed in embarrassment. "I guess you should go. Have a good holiday…I mean, Merry Christmas Jonathan."

"Merry Christmas Kyo." They smiled at each other one last time before they both turned their back, heading towards their respective destination.

As the boy climbed back inside the carriage, his mother did not probe him, but she greeted him with a warm look. Yes, he had reason to be proud; he was growing up to be one unique gentleman. She let the lackey know that they were ready to leave and the horses went on, galloping.

The moment they passed the gate, the boy took off the elegant velvet ribbon, noting that she had remembered his favorite color, and unrolled the parchment. To his surprise, nothing was written on it. He frowned slightly, turning it on the other side, but there was no messages either side. As if Kyo had spoke to him from the distance, he took out his wand and said softly

"Celo Liberatus." Slowly, words appeared on the rice paper parchment. Consequently, Kyo's voice filled the cabinet with a musical accompaniment. Jonathan did not recognize the style, and understood that it must be popular in the Muggles' world. The song was so lovely; her voice blending harmoniously with that of the instrumental background. As he listened to it, he let tears fell on his cheeks, unable to express his feelings with word. He replayed the song countless times until they reached the port key. His mother did not complain either, amazed by the girl's talent.

*If there were many tears falling down,

Every heart would become gentle.

If everybody expresses what they think,

Every heart can be satisfied.

I was frightened by the never-ending night,

So I prayed to the distant stars.

I was fleeing from friendship,

Thinking I would become stronger.

The two of us, smiling, as we meet,

Every heart has a habit of receiving its dreams.

Sadness has no effect on us,

Every heart gains happiness when it flies.

Memories of everything has settled,

I go through the nighttimes laughing,

The stars separate us from the future,

Yet, we walk on, hearts unified

I was frightened by the never-ending night,

So I prayed to the distant stars.

I was searching for love,

Wanting to become stronger.

Folding the parchment and rolling the exquisite ribbon around it, the boy promised himself to listen to it every night until his trip back to Hogwarts. It was the most beautiful gift he had ever received.

"It's going to be quiet around here with all those students gone." Tama said, walking with his sister. "Even with me around, won't you feel lonely?"

They were outside, eyeing the empty ground of Hogwarts. The wind was blowing fiercely.

As an answer, the girl smiled, and looked at the horizon, a dark blue scarf floating around her neck.


	11. A Whirlpool of Sadness

**A Whirlpool of Sadness**

A screamed echoed not too far from the Forbidden Forest. Holding her arm with one hand, the girl was trying to fight the pain. Blood drifted rapidly from the gash tainting the snow with a crimson color, as it trickled through her tiny fingers.

The boy was standing still in front of his pray, staring at her with sharp grey eyes. Refusing to meet his stare, she backed out slowly, ready to give him the next blow. Without warnings, she lashed out towards his blade, as it seemed. But at the last minute, her left foot touched the ground and she used her weight to prompt herself in the air, jumping as high as she could, evading the sharpening weapon. Still holding her arm strongly, she made for a twist of her body, and sent her right foot into a deadly strike directed at the boy's head. He bent just in time to miss the fatal blow and with a quick step he turned gracefully, waving his sword to attack her in the back. He was also injured, his legs barely standing, but he refused to let the wrenching pain gain over his determination.

His eyes widened when he understood too late the real purpose of this last attack. As he turned, ready to thrust, she had vanished. The blow came from behind, breaking the bones in his right arm, making him drop his weapon.

Grinning widely, the girl, still gripping her arm, was keeping her guard, knowing that this battle was not over yet. Without turning to face her, the boy drew a small knife from under his shirt and threw it behind him, using the last remain of his strength. Unfortunately, he was able to feel the flow of the blade without the need to see it and consequently knew that he missed his target.

"Alright Kyo, you win." He said, falling on his knees, letting the coldness of the snow lower his body temperature.

"I have to say that I'm really impressed" her body was shaking and she too, dropped in the snow, happy that their practice was over.

"Thank you. But please, before anymore words, heal me or I'll scream louder than you."

The girl laughed, and crawling on her knees, she reached to boy. She placed her body against his back and murmured an incantation. A shudder passed through the boy's body and moment later, all the pain had left him, replaced by a strong need for food.

"Weaklings." he spat for himself. But Kyo knew what he was referring too and she smiled, caressing the boy's hair.

They had taken the opportunity of low surveillance during the holiday to practice their combat technique. Fighting in the snow was already difficult, but the real limitation was that of the body itself. Back in August, they had been trained by the best's swordsman and hand-to-hand combat teachers. When it would take years of commitment and practice for a normal human being to reach the high level, it took only one month for the siblings. They had quickly understood the philosophy as much as the techniques of their arts. Because of the reign of the new Father, they had been forced many times in to fighting against captives for His ultimate pleasure. However, despite their high abilities and endurance to pain, it was impossible to break the limit of the shell. Thinking about herself, she stepped away from the boy and healed her injuries. Using their inner selves' power was also demanding. After each display, their body craved for sleep or food. She did not know for her brother, but as far as she was concerned, it also prompts headaches, not too strong, but very annoying.

"As weak as human can be, we still need to practice and get use to it. We might not be able to switch forms when the time will come. We cannot be caught defenseless." Speaking her mind, Kyo stood up, eager to reach the Great Hall and get foods inside her craving stomach.

"I understand sister, but what if our opponent is stronger then us? I will not stand idle. If I must, I'll burn them all down to a crisp. Why should we need those techniques when we can win in a heartbeat?"

"Because we cannot allow them to see our true form, not until we come face to face with the Leader of the group. Until then, we will fight our way through and then, as Voldemort rise from his throng, we shall release our wrath and complete our mission, for honor sakes."

Tama grabbed his sword, eyes fixed on the shiny blade. _Weapon_, he thought, _are excuses for weaklings. _Even the hand-to-hand combat was ridiculous. He would follow Kyo's order, but he would also do what must be done.

Walking silently, they reached the main entrance. Tama transfigured his sword back to its original shape, gliding the ring back around his thumb.

"Let's eat" he said, smiling softly.

"Kyo!"

"Mr…I mean, Jonathan, this is so nice to see you." She replied, smiling broadly.

The boy let out a small laugh at Kyo's slip of tongue. That girl is too cute he thought for himself.

"How was the holiday? Not too boring I hope? With more than half the student gone, it must have been pretty quiet." He said.

"Don't worry, I had a good time." She turned, waving her scarf around her neck. "This is the most beautiful and useful gift ever." She added, laughing shyly.

"Yours was even better." He wanted to add how many times he had listened to it, how it made him dream of her, but he was too shy.

"Well…" they said both embarrassed from this sudden silence.

Kyo was going to add something when a strong dizziness took hold of her. She reached to her head, robbing her temples intensively.

"Are you okay?" the boy inquired with concern.

"Yes…this is nothing really. I am just a bit tired I guess." But she knew better. Her training during the holiday had affected her more than she had admitted at first.

"Okay then. We should hurry now, the class will start soon." just then, he remembered that Kyo had been expelled from their potion class.

"You know I can't attend it anymore. As for you, I hope you did study back home. I heard that Holidays are meant to give students free time to read and learn. I'll be at the library if you need help after class."

Jonathan's face turned to a crimson color. He had not open one book. How can she expect him to study when he was surrounded with all his family and having such a great time? Instead of complaining to her, he nodded. 'I might as well lie or else, she will storm me out about discipline and hard work' he thought.

Professor Snape eyed the students as they reached for their seat. He was in a foul mood, more than ever. The holidays had been fruitless. He had spent the time brewing a complex potion without success which is probably the worse thing that could happen. Failure was not acceptable to his point of view; especially when it was his own.

"Why you bunch of dunderheads, hurry up, I do not have all day" he snapped, feeling better.

Nobody dared utter a word. Silence fell at once in the classroom.

"Today, we will brew a hair growth potion. Mr. Lent, tell me which ingredients are required, with their particularities."

The boy gulped loudly. He had never heard of this potion before, less read about it.

"I do not have all day. Answer at once." Snape snarled.

"Well…Professor, it takes…" This clumsy answer increased the teacher's frustration. His dark empty eyes were reduced to a thin line.

"Get out! I don't need brainless fools in my class."

"Yes professor." he stood and gathered his things quickly, leaving the class.

"What's wrong? Why are you not in class?" Kyo asked as Jonathan took a sit next to her in the library.

"Mr. Nightmare is having a bad hair day."

"I see. I guess we need to get you back on track. You cannot allow yourself to be thrown out again."

"What are you reading about?" Jonathan said, ignoring her comment and curious about the gigantesque tome laid opened on the table.

"That, my friend, is not something that you would understand just yet. Not that I want to insult you. But right now, you should concentrate on your own problems."

"Look, I hate potion class; I dream of strangling this old bat every night."

Kyo burst out loud, but was cut short by Ms. Pince. She had to admit that Snape was a pain, but it would do the boy no good if he was to be banned from the class.

"I am reading about the Dementors. I want to know their history and reason to live. What I read so far is not for the faint of heart I can tell you. Did you know that they feed themselves on the sadness of others?"

"My brothers told me a bit about them, but if they were as dangerous as they seemed, the Headmaster would never allow them to guard the school."

"Not unless their target is stronger than they are. They say that Sirius Black killed hundreds of people in one strike. Again, history has a tendency to exaggerate facts, but we are still talking about murder."

"I guess you're right. Anyway, these beasts keep to themselves, so we're safe."

"Maybe" the girl muttered for herself. She had a bad feeling, but could not pinpoint its origin.

Putting her book aside, she placed her hand over the boy's and peered in his eyes.

"Jonathan, you are my best friend right? I will help you with your study, but at one condition."

The boy cheeks were flushed with bright red spots. Stuttering, he answered a barely edible "Yes" and the girl went on.

"You must not hate your teachers, no matter who they are. Concentrate on one goal only; to get the best scores you can from all your classes. I want you to get more disciplined. Life is not easy, trust me, but it can become bearable if you help yourself. I might not be around to help you all the time. Remember what Professor Snape said to you back at the beginning of the year. No, don't interrupt me and listen. I'm saying this because I'm your friend, you must get a grip. Okay?"

Jonathan was closed to tears, not from anger or frustration, but for the fact that she was the first person to open her mind so honestly, like a true friend. He knew a lot of people, but she was unique. The more he learned about her, the more he felt attracted.

Straightening his back, shoulders up and head held high, he replied with a determined nod. Kyo smiled trusting the boy's confident look.

"Right, let's start by building up a study schedule. I want to see you faint from exhaustion, I want your eyes to turned red from reading books, I want you to display your knowledge with confidence. Let's start."

'Merlin, this girl is scary', not to mention irresistible to his point of view. He took a deep breath and together, they built him a new schedule, which should allow him barely enough time to eat and maybe sleep. 'I'm done for'. The boy whimpered inwardly.

March's holidays were coming to an end. There was tension inside the walls as the expected Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin approached and many first year students were talking about how they wished they could be part of their House' team; especially Jonathan who'd been playing with his brothers since he was old enough to hold himself on a broom. But this competition was reserved for older students and now was not the time to think about this. He was proud of his accomplishment and hard work throughout the past two months and a half. Every teacher, including the terrifying Professor Snape had been positively surprised of the outcome. Nevertheless, he reminded himself that this was just the beginning. Somehow, it did not scare him as it used to. Moreover, there was another matter which worried him.

Kyo had not been well lately, he was sure of it. He had tried to make talk about it, but she had refused, or simply waved his worries away, saying that he should focus on his studies. However, he had caught her often, while she thought to be alone, rubbing her temples while forced to lay her back on the walls as if to keep her balance.

Closing his hands into fists, he walked out of the Slytherin common room, determined to make her spill out the truth. As he turned the corner that lead to the legendary moving stairs, he caught glimpse of Tama. Changing his mind, he decided to tell the boy about Kyo's problem. Being her brother, he might be able to do something for her. He climbed the stairs two by two, but halfway through; they started to move, changing his course of action.

"Tama!" he shouted at the boy.

To his frustration, the boy had vanished through a corridor. 'Stupid staircases' he snarled. As soon as they stopped moving, he ran to another one and tried to make his way to that same corridor the boy had walked in. Tama was nowhere to be seen. Jonathan promised himself to find and warn him later during the day. With a spark of hope in his heart, he made his way to the library, expecting to meet Kyo.

The library was empty. Sadness and worries sank deeper as he realized that she was not there. Suddenly, he remembered that the game was today, she might already be sitting in the Slytherin lounge. He did not lose one minute, and ran towards the Quidditch playground.

Even though the game was to start in an hour, the seats were almost all occupied.

"Excuse me." "Sorry about that." Jonathan said apologetically as he tried to make his way to his House's seats. There she was, sitting quietly, reading a book as usual. When she laid eyes on him, she smiled, although faintly. 'She is definitely ill' he noted for himself.

"I kept you a seat." The girl said in a low voice.

"You did not need to, but thanks a lot. Are you okay? You look pale." He commented, cutting short from saying that she should be at the hospital wing instead of keeping a seat.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm fine." She was deeply annoyed and turned to her book, frowning. But as she did so, the headache gained in force and she had to release the tension.

"Look, it might not be of my business, but as it is, I'm your friend and it's only natural that I'm worried about you."

Forcing herself to smile at him, she patted his shoulder, but she did not pursue the conversation in that direction.

"I know a bit more about Dementors. Not only do they feed on sad memories, but they can also kill you if they kiss you. I wonder how they do that." Kyo had no idea what a kiss was, less what it meant. Her past memories were fading without her noticing it. All the details in the dreams she had with Snape were gone. Only the goal of helping Dumbledore and using Snape as the main tool of a bigger plot mattered to her.

"They kill you with a kiss? Woah! Thanks for saying, although I would never bring one of them on a date."

"What is a date?"

The boy blinked at her in wilderment. 'She does not know what a date is?' Coughing out of embarrassment, he tried to change the subject, and to his relief, she did not insist. Instead, she went on with her discoveries of those monsters.

"The history of Azgaban explains that they have been using Dementors since the dawn of the powerful wizard, Voldemort."

Students that surrounded them all gapped at once at the mention of his name. Even Jonathan felt a sudden discomfort.

"You know, it's bad to say his name out loud. It can bring bad luck."

"Is that so?" she exclaimed. "It sounds very interesting. Could it be that his name is some kind of an anti-luck charm? I must find out about this." She replied in a very serious tone.

'That girl is not for real'. How someone so frail keeps on showing no sign of fear or distress when talking about one of the worse wizard that ever existed?

"Say Jonathan, I see that you are doing well with your studies. I am very proud." Kyo said, in the same serious tone, half focused on her book.

"Thank you. It's all thanks to your advice though."

"Rubbish, you are good; you are just starting to realize it."

As a roar irrupted around them, they both raised their heads to see the teams entering the field. If it wasn't for the maddening throbbing of her temples, Kyo would have screamed with the others. She clapped her hands as an alternative, and quickly sat back, feeling on the edge of fainting.

Both teams circled the ground, well sit on their brooms. Gryffindor waved at each Houses, but her own team kept to their usual display of power and speed as they passed closely to the mounted estrades. After a fashion, the teacher referee entered the playground, a chest under the arm. Excitement got to its paroxysm. The rules were explained by an eager Gryffindor student. His voice reverberated throughout the ground encouraging more roars from the audience.

Finally, the game started. It was her first game ever and from what she had heard, it could get pretty wild and competitive. She had also read many books about it, wanting to understand the game and its history. Soon after it began, her head was spinning madly, her eyes barely able to focus on the fast pace exchanges and blows between the players of both teams. She managed to spot the much talked about student; Harry Potter. He was flying in the air with the grace of a Hippogriff, always in total control of his pace and direction. They were right, he did look handsome, plus, he inspired confidence and strength. In a swift move, he changed his course to follow the other Seeker. They kept going further up, so much that she lost sight of both of them. Shortly after though, the Slytherin Seeker came back, without Harry.

Silence fell for a moment; people were expecting to see Potter flying back with the snitches caught, smiling in victory. Kyo did not realize that she was standing up; peering through the thick clouds that suddenly covered the sky. She forgot about the headache for a moment as she felt her hair rising beneath her collared cloak. It came back to her, that bad feeling she had had when talking with Jonathan earlier. What if one of those creatures had caught Harry? Clasping her hands, as if to stop them from shaking, she kept her gaze fixed on the sky, hoping for his safe return.

Finally, a small form appeared, slashing into the clouds. At first, people were greeting their hero, but soon, the scream of victory turned to one of terror as they realized that the boy falling from the sky was not on his broom anymore. Kyo froze, her fear becoming reality. Before she could stop herself, she grabbed her friend's cloak and shouted frantically.

"He got caught by them, he did, I'm sure he did. We must do something."

But Jonathan was as stunned as all the others, watching the poor boy falling from the sky, unable to act in any helpful manner. She heard someone laughing behind her and turned to face one big tall guy and another, smaller but not thinner in the least. When they caught her glanced, they stopped laughing, but they still maintain a grin. 'Fools' she thought. Now was not the time to think about them, she turned back, too quickly though and she fell on her seat out of dizziness. Breathing deeply, she composed herself, not wanting to faint at this crucial moment. Then, everything happened at once. The Headmaster stood from his chair and halted the boy's fall. The game was immediately cancelled and the audience stopped their screaming at once. Everybody rushed out of the estrades, talking at once, wondering what could have happen to the Boy Who Lived.

"Have you heard? Harry was attacked by one of the Dementors. I knew that those beasts were too dangerous to roam about the castle freely."

"But, the Headmaster cannot help it if a dangerous lunatic is on the loose."

"You might be right, but still."

"Anyway, I've heard that they have been sent back to Azgaban."

"Are you for real? But what are we going to do about Sirius?"

Kyo was standing close to the Gryffindor table. She was making her way to her own, when she was forced to halt, feeling her stomach twitch, a sign that she would be sick if she did not stop to breathe for a moment. Potter's House was frantic about the recent incident. She was too, but of course, any comments were forbidden amongst the students of her House. This boy was intriguing, being linked to Voldemort as he was.

She could not allow him to die until she knew if he would be of any use or not. _There I am, thinking like a cold Elemental again._ Snapping back to reality; the bitterness of her last thought stroked her. She was supposed to think that way; she could not allow herself to become soft like those around her. Sure, she could use the girlish soul sleeping inside her, rocked by the gentle wave of her inner self, but she would not start to feel sorry for a potential weapon, even if it could involve his death. Trying to convince herself that it was for the good of their mission, she abandoned her position and went on walking towards her table.

The meal was served soon after, but as she looked at her plate, she felt sick. No food would help her in this state. She should talk to her brother about this, but she did not want to worry him. At first, she had been able to wave the pain, but it had kept getting worse. Sweat form at the roots of her hair and her breathing was labored. Without a glance to anyone, she stood up and resorted to reach her dormitory to sleep until morning. Being banned from her potion class had its advantage after all.

As she rose from her seat, she did not notice the two pairs of eyes following her out of the Great Hall. Jonathan was not the only one who had caught her state of illness.

Snape watched the girl, a frown on his face. He had more than one reason to be concerned about her. Lately, he had noticed the change in her well being. She was sick obviously, and he doubts that it had anything to do with her becoming a woman; she was too young for that. If she continued ignoring it, she would end up in trouble, and the idea did not please him. He had no time to waste on sick students of his House.

There was also the fact that she was reading books which had no link with any of her classes. Being a library rat himself, Snape had seen her reading about the history of powerful wizards, including the Dark Lord, Salazar Slytherin, and even books about Dumbledore. She had also been interested in the purpose and provenance of the Dementors. The oddest of her reading though, had been about human behavior, nature and emotions.

He wondered what she was up to. From his several years as a Death Eater, he had learned that people rarely act out of pure leisure. It was also very uncommon for a first year to be interested in subjects such as these. There was a reason to this and he would find out.

Professor Lupin had detected a particular scent on this girl. He could not identify the source of his doubts, but he knew that she was different, that she was not entirely who she pretended to be. As far as she was concerned, she could be a spy sent by those that were still waiting for the rise of He Who Must Not Be Named. But it seemed quite unlikely that they would use a young girl to do their biddings. If it turned out to be the case though, he would have to investigate, not only about her, but about her brother too. Young Tama's scent was the same as hers. Of course, they were siblings, but they did not smell anything close to any other students or teachers for that matter. He did not want to think about the possibility of having to face vampires or worse. At least, he knew that they were not werewolves. His attention turned towards the grim teacher at the end of the table. He too was concealing something, Lupin was sure of it. The teacher wrecked of blood although, not human. In all his years of hiding from the world, Lupin had never faced someone with such a strong smell of power and defiance. He remembered Snape from his younger time, and was sure that he did not have this overwhelming aura about him back then. Strange things were happening and he had a feeling that it was not for the best.

Snape excused himself and calmly walked through the back door of the Great Hall making sure that he did not look suspicious. The corridors were empty except for two or three students idly chatting. He kept himself from snapping at them, focusing on his goal. He wanted to have a word with the girl and find out what she was concealing. It did not take time to find her. She was standing, her back on the wall, hands slowly massaging her temples. He had witnessed her doing this many times this week when lurked in the shadows.

He pounded on the best moment to interrupt her when something unexpected happened. He saw her lips moving, noiselessly; moment later, she fell on the floor; her whole body motionless.

Caught by surprise, Snape stared at Kyo. Waking up from his sudden torpor, he reached at her and kneeled down taking her left arm in the process. He let out a grunt of frustration when he found himself unable to feel her pulse. Opening her cloak, he pressed two slender fingers on her neck. He finally caught the presence of a faint pulse, but it clearly showed that she was losing it. She needed assistance and quickly.

He grabbed her, placing his left arm under her knees and the other beneath her head. She might have weight no more than a leaf as far as he was concerned. 'This silly girl needs to feed herself' he spat inwardly. Without wasting more time, he made his way to the hospital wing.

The doors opened in a bang as Severus flew in with the inanimate student. Mme Pomfrey ran, ready to give him a speech on his manners, but she was stopped by the sight of the girl in his arm.

"Good Merlin! What happened?"

"Isn't it your job to answer that question" he replied sarcastically.

Throwing a stern glare at the teacher, she turned and led him to the closest bed.

"It might be relevant to let you know that she might not be breathing anymore. Her pulse was really low when I found her." He said, as if talking about nothing more than the weather.

"By Merlin sake, Severus; you should have told me that as soon as you got in. Move over, I need to administrate her with a powerful waking potion. It might bring her back. Accio _Sunfire Breathe_"

"Now, tell me what is going on?"

Snape was as clueless as she was. He explained how he had found the girl and added his latest observation about her's illness. Then, he remembered the girl's movement of lips just before she fainted. She could have used a spell that failed drastically.

"Might I suggest a dangerous use of magic? The silly girl was murmuring something under her breath and the following moment, she was lying still on the ground"

"You think so? She would have use wand less magic? It sounds unlikely for a first year. We have to let Dumbledore know about this."

Their conversation was cut short when the doors to the infirmary opened widely, banging on each side of the walls. A young boy rushed in, ignoring the two elders, he quickly closed the gap between the entrance and the girl lying on the bed.

"Kyo, can you hear me?" he said, barely controlling his voice.

The boy felt a tug as he was grabbed forcefully by the arm. Snape held strongly on the boy, locking his gaze to his. Mme Pomfrey was witnessing the whole exchange dumbfounded.

The two were not only staring eyes for eyes, they were shooting killing glares to one another. Both remained silent, struggling inwardly. Snape lips were thinner than ever and his eyes were narrowed to a small slit. It did not make the kid flinch for a moment; his cold grey eyes bored into the ones of his most hated teacher, he readied his mind to launch an attack at the first attempt of the teacher. Finally, Snape broke the silence.

"Detentions! For the remaining of this semester and it will continue on at the beginning of your second year. Add to these twenty points from Gryffindor."

Tama's reply was immediate

"You do as you wish and I'll do just the same."

"You will watch your attitude boy. I will not have student behave with such insolence in this school. Thirty more points from your House and detention starting this evening, in my classroom at seven precisely."

The boy knew he could have crushed down the git in a blink of an eye if it weren't for Mme Pomfrey's presence. Just when he was about to say something for his defense, he was taken aback from Snape following inquiry.

"Tell me, - whispering dangerously- What are you doing here?"

"I beg your pardon?" Tama replied calmly although panic was quickly flooding his mind.

"I asked you about your reason for being here."

"My sister is obviously sick, and it is my place to be by her side."

"Don't try to fool me. How did you know that she was in trouble?"

Taking a deep breath, the boy regained his composure, searching for a way to lie and make it sound believable.

"I saw my sister walk out of the Great Hall, looking quite ill. It took me a bit of time before I finally decided to see if she was at the infirmary."

"To rush in is more how I would describe it. You knew what had happened, tell me how."

"I do not understand the meaning of your words Sir!"

"Oh but I think you do. In my office, NOW!"

Swearing silently, the boy tried to release himself from the teacher's grasp but to no success. He did not want to raise even more suspicion than he already did. A display of his combat technique would be the worse thing to do at the moment.

"Now, this is quite a sight" Dumbledore, who had just made his entrance, eyed both of them, wearing a serious expression.

"Severus, would you be as kind as to give me an explanation of the matter"

"Headmaster, I am teaching manners to this buffoon. His behavior is far from adequate for Hogwarts Standard"

"And what is it that our little friend has been doing?"

"Sir, if you may." Tama answered before Snape could utter another word. "I was worried about my sister and came to see if she was okay."

Dumbledore turned his gaze to Kyo. Thanks to Mme Pomfrey's potion, she was now breathing easily, but she had not regain consciousness. In truth, Albus was concerned. He knew of course, the true purpose of those kids and understood that their cover had nearly been exposed.

"Do you know the cause or the identity of her illness?" he asked the boy directly.

"I don't know Sir." Tama played the card of the scared young boy as he urged for tears to glide from his eyes, blinking to bring them to roll on his cheeks.

"I don't even know if she's okay." He said with a quivering voice, adding up to his masquerade.

"She is" The deep baritone voice of Professor Snape startled both the boy and the old man.

"Your sister seemed to have fall into a deep sleep." Mme Pomfrey explained, hoping to bring down the tension. She step closer to the bed and placed a caring hand on Kyo's forehead.

"Her body's heat is decreasing though. It could prove fatal if we do not find a remedy."

The witch's voice was more reassuring and it also held a genuine concern for the girl.

"Will…will she be alright? She will wake up of course?" Tama's choke up renewed tears. He was really getting good at playing with emotions. He was indeed concern about his sister, but he needed to sound like a wimpy child if he wanted to keep their secret safe.

"Of course she will" said the Headmaster. He walked towards the girl and placed his hand on her left arm.

"Poppy, Severus, please leave me with the boy for a moment; he needs to calm down and most of all, he must assist his sister by any means possible. Tama, hold your sister's hands, I will be right with you."

Taking both witch and wizard apart, he talked to them quickly, leading them out of the infirmary.

"I will calm him down and make sure that necessary actions are taken."

This last comment was meant for Snape. Dumbledore had to talk with the boy before any future encounter with the man. The teacher hesitated a moment before steeping out of the infirmary, followed by the nurse. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Dumbledore cast an indictable ward against eavesdropping and turned towards the boy.

"She is in a magic torpor. No major harm has befall her, but something is exhausting this poor girl. I have witness such reaction a long time ago, during the werewolves. After fighting to the best of their capabilities, many wizards ended up trapped in a coma. This could turn out to be very problematic, as she may not wake from it."

"Sir, before she falling into oblivion, my sister purposely reconnected the bond between us. To my understanding, she had been ill for quite a time now. But today was too much and she asked for my help."

Dumbledore stayed quiet, waiting for the boy to empty his heart and soul.

Tama gave a worried look at his sister before keeping up. "She's the strongest. She is always keeping both eyes on me, making sure that I do not end up hurt." he said, tears shedding freely this time. Stroke by this childish reaction, he tried to calm down unsuccessfully.

"Just like your Father isn't she?"

Tama's expression switched from tenderness to something horrid, but only for a short moment, long enough though to be registered by the cunning wizard.

"Yes. Just like Father" the boy replied faintly.

Dumbledore's doubts were confirmed. From the moment that his eyes had fall on the note he had received last year, he knew that his friend was or had been in a dangerous position, which, by the boy's reaction, might have been fatal. These two kids were not strong enough. They probably accepted his request for help as a gesture of honor towards their Father. But they were young, even for their Kind. He was worried that they might not be able to control the situation.

"Tama, where will you live during summer vacation?"

"We thought about living not to far from Hogwarts." They had wanted to stay at school, but they had not made any decisions yet.

"Good. Now, let's talk about your sister condition. Can you reach out at her from your bond?"

"No Sir, not at the moment though." he replied, feeling helpless.

"She might wake up, but in case she does not, we will have to find a way to cure her. I will talk to Mme Pomfrey. You can trust her; she is a very good healer."

"But Sir, I doubt that she ever treated an Elemental before. Maybe the torpor will act differently on her?"

"I understand your concern, but you rely on us for the time being. As soon as you perceive any reaction from your sister, you must come and tell me. Now, off you go"

Tama had difficulty to trust any human being, but he had to oblige to the man, knowing that his sister would have done the same. He gave an approving nod and left the room.

"Tama! Are you alright? The way you rushed out the Hall earlier was a bit scary. What's wrong?"

The small group of Gryffindor students was eyeing Tama suspiciously. It was disconcerting to see him like that.

"Don't worry Karl, I'm fine thank you."

"You won't probably believe me, but there was that third year girl that was worried about you. Way to go man, you caught the eye of a pretty smart lady."

"Look Karl, I do not want to listen to your nonsense right now. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to my dorm." Tama intended to skip his class, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep his concentration. But the boy standing in front of him ignored Tama's reluctance.

"Yoah, she's no nonsense I'm telling you. Her name is Hermione Granger."

"Miss Granger? Yeah right, leave the joke for another day; I'm not in the mood"

"It isn't bull, I'm telling the truth. Anyway, you might want to go to let her know that everything is okay." Karl laughed and turned to leave, catching up to the group hurrying for their next class, leaving a dumbfounded Tama behind.

Entering the Great Hall, Tama was surprised to see Hermione looking back at him, smiling. His head became hot all at once. So the boy hadn't been lying to him after all. In his state, he had not felt like scanning the boy's mind for lie or truth. He walked towards her, but as he passed by, he felt a pinch in his heart. Nervously, he continued until he reached his own seat. Before he could sit down, her voice interrupted him.

"Good to see you Tama. We thought that something was wrong. It was a bit scary the way you jolt off your chair and ran out of the Hall. Is everything okay?"

"I… Yes of course, yes Miss Granger, Hermione…I mean Miss…" Damn it all, he felt so stupid. Since when did he have difficulty addressing any of the students?

"You can call me Hermione."

Tama simply nodded and sat. He needed to clear his mind and think of a way to help his sister. Back in their dimension, he had heard stories about the power of a powerful root. One that could heal the soul and reinforce the strength of any creatures, Elemental included. If only he could remember its name. '_Lira...Tira...Orin'_. None of these names seemed to trigger his memory. The name was simple…something simple and obvious.

"Old Root." He said loudly.

Many students turned to him in confusion, but two mouths were actually gapping widely. Ron and Hermione stood up and went to sit next to him.

"What did you just say?" they asked in a perfect synchronism.

"Nothing really, I was just thinking out loud."

"No, what was it? Do you know anything about the Old Root? Have you ever seen one?"

"Well, yes I did. Its main purpose is to heal severe injuries and purify the soul. But why…"

"Yes, that's it. Ron, this is fantastic." Hermione cut, overly excited by this turn of event.

"I know! See, I was right not to worry, even though my parents weren't able to find any of that root in Egypt."

"Ron! It wasn't as if we had another plan to find some." She said in remonstrance. Turning her attention back to the confused boy.

"Do you know where we could get a hand on this valuable item?"

In what kind of trouble had he just put himself into? Thirty minutes without his sister was enough to almost bring their masquerade to discovery. Now with this unexpected request, he wondered how he would manage. He sighed deeply, aware that he had no choice, but to go on with this.

"Yes I can help you. But first, let's go outside. It's a sunny day and I need to take some fresh air."

The three of them walked out of wall, but not before Ron could grasp the Harry's shirt to ensure that he was following them.

"Snape, can we talk for a moment?"

The teacher wasn't in the mood to be disturbed, especially not after rescuing a mostly dead brat. He gave a dark glare to the man, but nodded in acceptance.

"I need to ask you about something that has been troubling me lately. To be honest, I've been giving thoughts about it since the first day I step in Hogwarts this year."

"Please Lupin, if you are about to confessed your love for me, I suggest you think twice or you might end up with your feelings crushed to bits, not to mention your body." Severus curled his lips in an ugly smirk of indignation.

"Don't be a fool." the man answered, a touch a frustration in his voice.

"Don't get too friendly with me Remus, I am in no mood for a discussion with a werewolf wannabe."

"Let me get straight to the point then. I sense a power beyond your control and it hovers around you all the time. I cannot yet tell if you're in danger, but I will ask you to be careful with this. There are some things…that cannot be tamed Severus"

"And since when do you care about my safety?" Snape replied harshly, already on the bridge of shouting. He ought to keep his anger back, but Remus kept reminding him of his ugly past.

Both men were having a hard time to keep it as quiet as possible.

"This isn't about me Severus, nor is it about our days back then. It concerns you now. Any human being would have problem controlling such a strong aura. I do not know how you got in this possession, but forget your ego for once and follow my advice. Just be careful"

"Lupin! When have you ever acted in a way that would make me trust you? If you are referring to this lowlife Dog, think again. I know you let in an out of control freak in the school. Yes, I am pointing out your plot with Sirius. Your secrecy simply worsens the last bit of trust people might ever had for you. As for me, I never even gave you that much of a credit. You might be a fully accepted member, but I will not be fooled by your wicked wolf mind."

These last words had been out of his mouth before he could stop himself. By the end of his speech, Snape's voice was nothing more than a low hissing.

"Severus! You know well enough that I never asked for this to happen. I always fight the needs, the urge. Believe me or not. I gave you the proper warning." Lupin added, leaving him, tired of this continuous hatred between them.

Even though Lupin left with the impression that his warning has been lost into the dept of the man's ego, Snape thought differently. As he watched the man disappear at the end of the corridor, he wondered if he had indeed been corrupted by the power of the blood. He was surprised not to have given more thoughts about it.

The nightmares had stopped since the mid of July, without any logical explanation. It could mean that he was gradually gaining control of the situation. Although, if it was the case, he should be able to contact the two kids as he like. Since the beginning of the year, he had tried to step into the other dimension by use of meditation, but it didn't work out. He could try to brew a potion, if only he would know what kind of magical power was needed to travel from plane to plane.

He would have to searched back the exact moment when the nightmares had stopped and if it was linked to any events that occurred during the last year. Striding back to his dungeon, he quickly forgot all about this situation by catching two students snugging in a dark corner.

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